Unforgettable
by Nicole4211
Summary: *ON HIATUS* Orihime and Ulquiorra as well as Ichigo and Grimmjow are reunited in the heat of the Quincy invasion. They are brought together through their determination to get stronger and it inevitably brings feelings to the surface. This story will combine with another story of mine, 'The Beginning'. Yes, there will more than likely be Yaoi.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Yet another Ulquihime story along with other pairings. I think I have issues.**

**This is a bit of a spoiler… sorta. At the end of Chapter 500 in the manga, someone saves Urahara and all we get to see is the sword of whoever it was that saved him. This story takes place after that and who I believe was holding the sword (though I'm pretty sure the other person… well, I'll say at the end of the chapter). I hope you enjoy!**

**READ A/N FOR POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!  (sorry, had to add that because I tend to skip A/N's myself… bad Nikki)**

**Oh yea and, I do not own Bleach or any of these characters. (Do we really have to say that?)**

**Chapter 1**

"Oh no," said a startled Urahara as a cool steal blade was pressed against his cheek.

A haughty laugh escaped the mouth of the sword wielder, the blade pressing more firmly against Urahara's skin creating a thin stream of blood to spill over the metals surface.

"Look what we have here," said the man who had just sliced the jailer from shoulder to hip.

Urahara blinked but didn't move when he heard a startled half scream, half cry behind him.

"Princess… long time no see."

"Ulquiorra…" Orihime breathed, ignoring the comment from the blue haired Espada and looking past him to the green eyed figure which stood unmoving with his hands shoved deeply in his pockets.

"Aw, that hurts princess," said Grimmjow while removing his sword from Urahara's cheek.

"Thank you," said Urahara as he got to his feet. He turned around to see if Chad and Orihime were alright and was startled to see Orihime staring at something behind him with a glassy look.

Orihime's mind was racing with thoughts as she stared at Ulquiorra. It didn't make sense. She had seen him die before her very eyes. She had seen him disintegrate into nothing. How could he be standing here? She shook her head to try to stop the barrage of memories that threatened to drown her.

For nearly two years she had lived through the nightmares, the constant shadow over her thoughts. As hard as she tried, she couldn't erase the memory; the despair in his eyes when he'd reached out for her. She'd replayed that moment countless times over the past year, each time ending the same and ripping a small piece of herself in the process. She didn't know why the memory caused her so much pain. He had been her enemy. He'd been the cause of so much pain in her life. She'd reasoned that she just hated seeing anyone suffer, friend or foe but looking at him now, his eyes staring back at her like the past 20 months had never occurred, made her reassess her assumption.

Orihime gulped as a lump formed in her throat.

He was staring at her, just as she was at him. Their eyes never wavered.

"I knew I felt that orange haired brat's reiatsu. Where is he?" Grimmjow asked, his thickly muscled arms folded over his chest. He no longer wore the white uniform he'd worn while under Aizen. Instead he was wearing a royal blue vest, completely unbuttoned, revealing the trademark scar across his chest and torso. The pants were the same though, the white fabric and black belt hanging low on his hips.

"He's on his way to Soul Society. What are you guys doing here?" Urahara asked, walking towards the Quincy body lying bloody and broken on the ground.

"I'm never one to pass up a fight," Grimmjow answered.

Behind him, Ulquiorra still stood motionless, his gaze fixated on the woman. He'd never thought he'd see her again. She'd changed in the time they'd been apart. Her hair was longer and she no longer clipped it back with her pins. He even noticed the subtle changes in her body, her legs slightly longer and her curves more pronounced. He didn't know how many nights he'd stayed up, thinking about their last moments together. His hand would reach out to the darkness of its own accord and inevitably come back with nothing. The memories of her would haunt him like nothing else.

"Why are YOU guys here?" questioned Grimmjow.

"Nel needed our help," answered Urahara hiding his true intent.

"Che-, idiots."

"We need to get back to the living world. I fear we were lead here on purpose and now I need to analyze this medallion," said Urahara as he walked back to Chad and Orihime.

"But Ichigo…" Orihime said, snapping out of her fixation. "I need to go to Soul Society."

"You're right Orihime… they will need your help too," Urahara said while gathering a few things off the corpses body.

Orihime was a little taken aback at Urahara's answer. Usually he would tell her to stay back because she wasn't strong enough.

"I will go with Inoue," inserted Chad.

"That won't be a good idea. You will be of little help there right now," said Urahara.

"I'm not going to let her go alone!" Chad hollered.

"She will not be alone," a voice said from behind Urahara.

The group turned as one to look at Grimmjow.

"Hmm… that might not be a bad idea," pondered Urahara as he looked at the pair standing nearby. "Yes, that will work. But please, meet me back at my shop after you are done there. I think we can all agree that right now we don't need more enemies so I will relay to you all the information I can if you will do the same for me."

"Fuck no…" answered Grimmjow but was interrupted by Ulquiorra.

"Yes, I agree. We already know that the Quincies are too much for us to fight alone Grimmjow."

Grimmjow grunted in acknowledgment to Ulquiorra's statement but didn't disagree.

"Alright then, that's settled."

* * *

Orihime clutched her throat as a scream threatened to escape. Her eyes took in the sight in front of her, moving over the ruined buildings and fallen towers. All around her was endless death and destruction. Agonizing cries came from every direction and Orihime quickly searched for several reiatsu's. The most blaring was Ichigo's, coming from somewhere in the center of the city. Grimmjow apparently must have recognized it as well since he immediately took off in that direction. She searched out Rukia's and Rangiku's reiatsu… faint but still strong. Then Toshiro, Renji, Byakuya…

Without a second thought, Orihime started sprinting across the rubble, tripping over a protruding rock and slicing her knee open. She didn't bother to stop but jumped back to her feet and continued to run, turning down pathway after pathway and jumping over fallen beams. She finally entered a small clearing and found Renji leaning over a slumped figure and rushed over. Byakuya laid there, his eyes closed and chest barely moving with his breaths.

Immediately Orihime placed her healing shield over him, the yellow glow lighting up his haggard features. Renji turned mournful eyes to Orihime as she squatted next to him. 'This can't be happening,' she thought as she watched Byakuya's unchanging wounds. She couldn't help but look at the destruction around her. What could have possibly caused all of this? She almost jumped when Ulquiorra's slender form entered her field of vision.

She didn't have time to think about it anymore when an agonized cry pierced the air near them.

"Nii-sama!"

Orihime watched as Rukia flew across the clearing and landed beside her brother, her hand fisting against his chest as she knelt beside him. Her eyes were wide and shining with unshed tears and Renji moved around to the other of Byakuya's body to kneel beside her, curling an arm around her thin and shaking shoulders.

Byakuya's eyes fluttered open, searching out the pair beside him. His mouth opened but before he was able to utter a word, the breath inside him whooshed out and his head sagged to the side.

"Nii-sama! Nii-sama!" cried Rukia, her hands clutching desperately to his robes. By her side, Renji's eyes were lined in red and his fists were clenched at his sides. When Rukia started pounding on Byakuya's chest, her sobs making her choke, Renji grabbed her shoulders and pulled her against him, pressing her face into his chest and holding her tight.

No words were said between the two as they mourned and Orihime stared at the scene in shocked silence. She relinquished her shield from Byakuya's form and stood, her eyes staring at nothing in the distance. The pain and suffering around her was incredible. It was unbelievable that so much destruction could have happened here… in Soul Society of all places.

She shook her head to snap out of it, knowing that other people needed her help. With one last glance at her friends who were holding each other, Orihime made her way to the next needy person. She spent the rest of that afternoon healing as many people as possible, her shield expanding to a point she never knew it could reach. Every ounce of energy was seeping out of her but she kept it up, knowing that just a few minutes could mean life or death to someone.

Ulquiorra watched the woman as she went from injury to injury, healing every person that she could. He could see her shoulders sagging more and more each minute but she continued on. Even when a lieutenant from the fourth division came over to her and asked her to get some rest Orihime did not stop. He remembered when he'd watched her heal both of the men that had accompanied her from the spirit world to the living world back when he'd informed her of her surrender to Aizen. He'd been slightly amazed by her ability but what she was doing now made that act pale in comparison. Her healing shield now encompassed five to six people at a time and the wounds she was able to heal were incredibly grave.

He wasn't sure why he'd decided to follow the woman once they had entered Soul Society. He'd watched Grimmjow dart off the moment they had entered but he didn't have the same desire to search out Ichigo so he'd waited and watched what was happening around him. The look that had passed over Orihime's face when she'd felt her friends fading reiatsu had captured his attention and the next thing he knew, he was following her, receiving curious glances wherever he went from the shinigami but no hostility. It seemed people were more interested in the new threat, the Quincies, who must have retreated not more than a few moments before their arrival to Soul Society.

* * *

"What the…" gasped Ichigo as the light blue haired Espada dropped down in front of him. His eyes opened wide at the sight and he clutched his broken sword tighter in his hand.

"Ichigo," said Grimmjow. "Miss me?"

"What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked, his large brown eyes scanning the area for others.

"Isn't it obvious? Saving your ass," Grimmjow replied.

"But…" started Ichigo before he was interrupted.

"Looks like we're too late though. This place looks worse than Hueco Mundo. I knew you Shinigami were a bunch of pussies."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes and asked, "Who else is here?"

"Ulquiorra is somewhere around here. Probably following the Princess around," Grimmjow answered.

"Ulquiorra is here?" Ichigo said incredulously. "But he was… I thought he… died."

"Yea well, who the fuck cares. I need to know who these fuckers are who took over Las Noches and practically destroyed Soul Society."

Ichigo sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He hadn't had a moment to think about the enormity of the situation and all the things that had been said to him but it all came crashing down on him now. The last words from Byakuya rang through his head. '_I'm counting on you, Kurosaki Ichigo.' _ It was impossible to believe that he was dead but he'd felt his reiatsu fading and then soon disappearing.

Then of course, there were the words from Juhabach, the leader of the Vandenreich. What had he meant? What did his mother have to do with any of this? He'd never asked his father about the past, feeling that he would tell him when he was ready but now, things were different.

"Hey Ichigo! You gonna answer me?" asked Grimmjow who stood only a few feet away from Ichigo now, his sword sheathed at his hip.

Ichigo blinked out of his thoughts and looked at Grimmjow. The fact that he was standing in front of him, talking to him like they weren't enemies was surprisingly on the bottom of the list of weird things that had happened today. "I barely know anything myself. I know they are Quincies and I know that they came for revenge from a war that happened years and years ago. Beyond that, I really don't know."

Grimmjow crossed his arms over his chest and stood in silence for a moment, seeming to contemplate what Ichigo had just said.

"That weird hat wearing man told us to come back to his shop when we were done up here," said Grimmjow.

"Knowing Urahara he probably knows way more than anyone else. I need to find some people first though."

* * *

Orihime had just finished healing another group of people when she turned and saw Ulquiorra standing behind her. He was simply standing there, watching her as she moved from person to person and Orihime had been aware of him the entire time. She had been curious at first about why he was following her but her curiosity soon vanished, replaced with a determination to help every person she was capably of helping. Now though, as she turned and looked at him, she felt the last bit of energy inside of her seep out and she collapsed, passing out before noticing the strong arms that caught her before she hit the ground.

Ulquiorra looked at the woman in his arms, her dark lashes fanned against her perfect skin. He'd seen her knees give out beneath her and had quickly jumped forward to catch her. At that moment, Ichigo and Grimmjow walked into the courtyard, each of them looking startled by the sight of Ulquiorra holding Orihime.

"Inoue! What did you do to her?" screamed Ichigo as he ran towards them.

A hand shot out and stopped him before he got to Ulquiorra. "It's ok. Orihime just passed out. She's fine."

Ichigo looked into Renji's sorrow filled eyes and immediately felt something inside him break. He would kill every last one of those monsters who had caused all this pain and death.

"Let's go," said another voice from behind, a large tanned hand lying on his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Renji asked, pain clearly reflected in his reddish brown eyes.

"We have to get back to Urahara," answered Ichigo.

Renji let his eyes fall to the ground and it seemed like all the air in his body escaped as he slumped forward. Ichigo put a hand on Renji's shoulder, waiting for the taller man to lift his head and look into his eyes before saying, "I'll be back soon, I promise."

His words seemed to bolster a bit of energy in the red head and Renji straightened his shoulders and looked at his friend. "Thanks Ichigo."

* * *

The small group made their way to Urahara's shop, Orihime still cradled in Ulquiorra's arms. They laid her down as soon as they got to the shop and went to find Urahara who was somewhere in the back, drinking a cup of tea as he perused a bunch of charts and graphs laid out on the table.

"Welcome back," Urahara said before taking another sip of the steaming liquid. "Quite the threesome. I'm glad you didn't kill each other before getting here."

The three men grunted and Urahara offered them each a seat around the circular table. They all sat down and poured themselves some of the hot refreshment.

"Tell me quickly what I need to know. I have to find my dad," said Ichigo, a look of impatience crossing over his face.

"It's always so nice to hear when a son needs his father," said a deep voice from the doorway.

The group all turned at once to see Isshin standing there, his muscular frame taking up a good portion of the doorway.

"Dad?" Ichigo said with wide eyes.

"Isshin… so good of you to join us. Please, take a seat," Urahara said and motioned to one of the remaining empty cushions. When Isshin took a few steps inside, another figure appeared in the doorway of smaller proportion, his glasses reflecting the light from the window.

"And Ryuken, what a pleasure," added Urahara. "Any more surprises?"

"Only one," answered another familiar voice.

"Uryu!" Ichigo said, his surprise clearly written all over his face.

"Don't forget me!" chimed in a higher pitched voice. Orihime came walking in behind Uryu, dark circles under her eyes but shoulders rigid with determination.

"This is quite the group we have here," said Urahara as the new members took a seat.

"Yes well, this involves everyone so I figured we should get this done at once," said Isshin while he poured himself a cup of tea.

"Get what done?" Ichigo asked.

"I need to tell you a story. The story of how your mother and I met," answered Isshin., his eyes going distant as memories overtook his thoughts.

The group waited, eyes glued to the dark haired man.

"It was 18 years ago…"

**To be continued… (in another story. See A/N)**

**Ok so now I can finish what I was saying in the beginning of the A/N. I don't really think Ulquiorra is standing with Grimmjow in that scene in the beginning. It's just a fantasy on my part. Of course at this point we don't even know if that's Grimmjow but I think most people believe it is. **

**The 'to be continued' will be done as a separate story until that tale is completed. It's called "The Beginning" I will post the first chapter of that soon. I hope this isn't too confusing for people. Just send a review or a PM if you have any questions.**

**I hope you enjoyed!**


	2. Chapter 2

**YAY… back to this story! I hope you enjoyed the quick story of Isshin and Masaki. Oh, and also Ryuken and Ayden. For those of you who missed that… it's called The Beginning and it ties into this story.**

**And of course, nothing in the manga is going as I planned so… whatever. This is an Ulquihime story anyway so here goes!**

**Chapter 2**

"What the hell are you looking at me like that for Uryu?" asked Ichigo when his father's story was finished.

"You're my…"

Uryu was interrupted by an excited Orihime crying out, "You guys are cousins! Isn't that great! No wonder you guys are so alike."

Everyone at the table turned at the same time to look at Orihime, each staring at her, dumbfounded by her statement. Who in the world would think those two were alike?

Realization finally dawned on Ichigo and he stared at Uryu with wide eyes then he looked at Ryuken. "That means, you're my Uncle."

Ryuken nodded and Isshin spoke up. "I hope you both understand why we had to keep this secret. It was too dangerous to let you find out before now."

Uryu quickly nodded and said, "Of course."

"Thank you Urahara for keeping our secret for so long," said Isshin.

"No thanks needed. Let me show you what I've learned of the Quincies so far. This," he said while holding up the medallion, "as we all know by now, steels bankai's. And, we have also learned that for some reason, they can't steel Ichigo's. I reason that this is either because he is too strong and the person trying to steel it needs to be stronger than him or… because of Ichigo's Quincy blood, the medallion doesn't work. Either way, it has worked out in our favor so far.

"Also, I'm guessing that the royal guard will be paying a visit to Ichigo soon which should make things quite interesting up in Soul Society.

Ulquiorra listened silently to all this, becoming more interested when Urahara started laying out the things he has learned so far. He couldn't help but cast quick glances over at the woman every few minutes. She was intensely interested in the story that Isshin and Ryuken had told. She also absorbed every bit of information Urahara relayed and when he was finished, she peaked over at him, catching him looking at her.

He quickly averted his eyes and reached a hand up to his face when there was finally a lull in the conversation.

"It isn't much but here is what we know of these Quincies," Ulquiorra said and plucked his eye from its socket. The orb shattered within his hand and tiny specs of illumination lit up the room, showing them all what he had seen of the Quincy invasion; images of death everywhere and several former Espada captured and beaten.

"Thank you Ulquiorra. You're help in all this is greatly appreciated. You and Grimmjow are allowed to stay here as long as you like. I have an underground training area you can use at your convenience. Of course though, I cannot allow you to leave this shop unless you put on one of my gigai's. I hope you understand why."

Ulquiorra nodded and turned when Grimmjow cut in.

"I'm not staying here. What the fuck is a gigai?"

"Grimmjow, you know as well as I do that we can't go back right now," said Ulquiorra, his tone even and cool like usual.

"We've done fine so far."

"I'd rather not take my chances. Go if you want."

Grimmjow huffed and crossed his arms across his chest like a sulking kid who just got yelled at by his mother. "Are you going to answer me or what?" he turned and asked Urahara who laughed at the exchange.

"A gigai is a body I created that turns souls into human's… so to speak. You will _look_ like a human at least and you won't have any of your powers," Urahara answered and stood up when a few others started to. "Isshin, Ichigo, Ryuken, Uryu… thanks for coming by. I will keep you informed if I learn anything else. Orihime, please feel free to get some rest in the room next door."

Ulquiorra looked over at Orihime who was struggling to keep her eyes open. It seems like the momentary high she'd had while listening to Isshin's story had ended and now she looked ready to pass out at any second. Behind her, the sun was starting to set behind a bunch of towering buildings and Ulquiorra watched everyone exit the shop in almost complete silence, each person seeming to be lost in their own thoughts.

"Here, come with me," said Urahara, motioning for Ulquiorra and Grimmjow to follow him. They entered a small room crowded with lifeless bodies that looked like skinless piles of muscle and Urahara picked one up and draped it over his shoulder. "This is a gigai. It'll be a bit uncomfortable at first but you will get used to it. When you need it, just come in here and put it on like so," and he started demonstrating how to step into it. "Now let me show you where you will be sleeping."

The pair followed him into an adjoining room with several mats rolled up in the corner. Orihime was lying down near the far wall beneath a small window, her chest slowly rising and falling with her restful breaths. He could tell she was already deeply asleep.

"And lastly, this is the stairway to the basement," said Urahara, leading them out of the room towards a staircase that went downward. "That's where the training area is. Like I said earlier, please feel free to use it as much as you would like.

"I need to go and do some more research. If you need anything, Tessai will be able to help you." With that, Urahara retreated to a back room and left the two men alone in the hallway.

"What the hell are we supposed to do now?" Grimmjow grumbled agitatedly.

"I don't care what you do," answered Ulquiorra who started walking towards the staircase.

"Che… cya," said Grimmjow.

Ulquiorra made his way down the stairs to the basement, momentarily surprised by just how large the area was. 'How was this even possible?' he wondered as he started walking around the dusty floor. He could certainly see why it would be a great place to practice.

He roamed around for a bit, checking out the area and then made his way back up the narrow stairway. When he got to the top of the stairs, he walked to the room where they'd all sat while listening to Isshin's story. The sky was black now, the moon lending what little bit of light could be seen.

His hands pushed into his pockets before he turned and walked out of the room, heading towards the room where the hat wearing man had told him he could rest. He opened the door slowly, remembering that Orihime was already fast asleep in the room. His eyes sought out her slumbering form near the wall. She was sleeping on her side, facing the rest of the room and her hair was fanned out over the floor behind her.

She looked so peaceful and innocent laying there, much different than the few times he'd observed her slumbering in Las Noches. Back then, her face had been constantly distorted with lines of worry and stress. He knew he'd been the biggest cause of that. It had been deliberate on his part of course. He'd wanted it that way. It was his job to break her resolve and make her one of them. It had been a mission to him, a complex game of breaking down barriers and crushing hopes.

He hadn't realized at the time just how dangerous the game had become. He'd thought everything through down to the deaths of her friends but he'd overlooked one small thing… himself.

He hadn't realized at the time that his game was wearing him down as well; that every probing question brought just a sliver of himself out into the open. Piece by piece he was forced to analyze himself. She made him think about things he'd never cared to wonder about.

A noise in the hall snapped his thoughts back to the present and he realized he'd been staring at the woman, his body standing rigidly straight and hands clutching the fabric inside his pants. He moved to the stack of mats and rolled one out on the far side of the room from the woman. His fingers worked on the zipper of his shirt and slowly slid the metal piece down then shrugged out of the crisp white jacket and folded it neatly on the floor beside him.

In the corner of his mind he wondered where Grimmjow was. He hoped he wasn't getting into trouble.

He stretched his tired muscles as he lay out on his back. His head turned to the side and he glanced at the woman again. She was lying in the same position, her head resting against the small pillow. It felt strange sleeping in the same room as her. Just the previous night he'd woken in the middle of the night, another dream of grasping hands startling him awake.

He let his eyes drift shut and surprisingly, sleep found him easily that night.

* * *

'Stupid fake body,' Grimmjow grumbled as he walked down the shadowed street, kicking a small rock and watching it bounce away and fall into a sewer grate. He could feel a faint reiatsu nearby though it was difficult for him to recognize it in this body. A line of houses flanked the left side of the street where he was walking and he saw a single light in the second story of the house where the spiritual pressure was coming from.

He decided to check it out, anything to entertain himself even for just a few minutes. He hated being bored. He was never one to think in depth about anything, preferring to act on instincts and deal with the consequences later.

Grunting as he went, Grimmjow pulled himself up the head high brick wall and then scaled the fence that led to the small balcony outside of the lighted window. Quietly he moved to the wall, careful to avoid the window. He could hear movement inside, and peaked around to see a narrow bed with long, thin legs stretched out over it.

He waited a few seconds and peaked back around, inching his face just a small bit farther so he could see more of the form lying down.

"Grimmjow, what the hell are you doing?"

Grimmjow almost jumped out of his skin when he heard the question. Of all the people, it had to be _his_ room.

"Oi… Grimmjow. Are you going to answer me?" the voice said and the window slid open a crack, orange hair poking through.

Grimmjow grabbed the side of the window and slid it open farther, jumping inside and standing above Ichigo on the bed.

"What are you doing? Get off!" Ichigo growled, raising himself up on his elbows and looking at Grimmjow's grinning face.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Grimmjow said with a grin and stepped off the bed with a quick jump.

"Get out of my room." Ichigo raised himself up to a sitting position, legs folded beneath him as he watched Grimmjow look around the small room. "What do you want?" It was then that he noticed the subtle change in the man's appearance. His hollow mask was missing and the blue markings that were usually on the side of his eyes were gone.

Grimmjow turned his attention back to the teenager on the bed and said, "I'm bored. What are you reading?"

Ichigo shook his head and let out an exasperated sigh. He put the magazine aside and ran a hand through his thick, spiky hair. "Just a magazine," he answered and groaned when Grimmjow took a seat on the side of his bed. It had been a really long day and all he wanted to do was wind down and go to sleep. "Urahara lent you a gigai?" he asked, uncomfortable with the silence.

"Yea. Fuckin' thing is annoying. He won't let me leave without it though," Grimmjow answered and stood up again, pacing the room as he looked around.

'The man doesn't sit still,' thought Ichigo as he watched the former sexta espada inspect his belongings. Thankfully he'd learned long ago to get rid of anything that might embarrass him, what with all the Soul Reapers who stopped by now a days for random meetings that had nothing to do with him.

"What do you do all day? This place is boring," commented Grimmjow, turning to face Ichigo.

"Yea it's boring so why don't you leave and go back to Urahara's," said Ichigo.

"Che, it's boring there as well. Ulquiorra won't fight with me, I stopped asking him a while ago, and that chick was asleep."

"So why don't you go to sleep too?" asked Ichigo. He wasn't sure how to handle this new, friendly-ish Grimmjow; especially when the man sat down in the center of his bed again and laid back, resting his head on his folded arms and his legs dangling off the side. "I didn't mean on _my_ bed. Get out!" Ichigo almost screamed but remembered his dad and sisters nearby.

Apparently Grimmjow wasn't fazed by Ichigo's outburst and turned his head to face him with the same characteristic grin on his face. "Fight me."

Ichigo's eyes widened and then he narrowed them into agitated slits. "I'm not fighting you. I'm in my house and it's past eleven at night. I'm tired. Plus, we have no reason to fight. I don't fight just for the sake of fighting."

"I didn't mean right now you idiot," Grimmjow said. "I'll leave you alone if you promise to fight me in Urahara's basement tomorrow."

Another sigh escaped Ichigo's lips and then his foot shot out and kicked Grimmjow in the ribs. "Fine. Get the hell out!"

True to his word, Grimmjow jumped to his feet, his hand rubbing over the spot Ichigo had just kicked, and stepped out the window. When the window was closed, Ichigo said to himself, 'Why don't people use doors anymore?'

* * *

Orihime slowly opened her eyes and could tell from the light shining through the window that it was still early. It took her a moment to remember where she was and then she lifted herself up on her elbows and turned her head to the side. She gasped when she saw a figure lying just a few yards away, its legs hanging over the matt in odd angles and light blue hair a tangled mess on the pillow. She immediately recognized Grimmjow even though he was facing the opposite direction from her, his bare back towards the ceiling and blanket covering at least some of his body. How hard was it to figure out? How many people had blue hair?

A strange looking body was piled in a mess of limbs near the door and Orihime figured that that was a gigai. She lifted herself up into a sitting position and actually did gasp this time when she saw another figure lying on the opposite side of Grimmjow.

Pale skin peaked out from under the blanket where the thin fabric had fallen to the side and she could see ridges of muscle covering surprisingly broad shoulders. Ulquiorra was lying on his side, facing the wall on the opposite side of the room. His raven black hair was barely visible beneath the helmet which was covering the side of his head that wasn't on the ground.

She watched his body move subtly with every breath and found herself fascinated by his sleeping form. He seemed so human, so vulnerable as he slept. It was so unlike him.

After getting to her feet, she tiptoed by Grimmjow, narrowly avoiding the balled up pile of clothes near his head and didn't let her mind think about the fact that his pants were among that pile which probably meant he was naked beneath the thin blanket. She quickly opened the door as quietly as possible and slid out to the hallway, exhaling as she shut the door behind her and leaned her head back on the cool wooden surface.

Her stomach made itself known at that moment and started grumbling loudly. The last time she'd eaten was nearly 24 hours ago and she was starving.

She made her way down the hall and turned when she saw Ururu and Jinta sitting around the large circular table where they'd all met yesterday. "Good morning guys! How are you?" she asked and took a seat beside them.

Jinta only grunted in acknowledgment but Ururu answered in her normal meek way, saying hello and blushing as she turned back to her bowl of food.

"Good morning Ms. Inoue. How are you feeling this morning?" a deep baritone of a voice bellowed as Tessai entered the room with a tray full of food. He placed a steaming bowl in front of Orihime and then took a seat beside her, digging into his own bowl.

"Good morning Tessai-san. I'm feeling great!" she answered and started in on her own bowl. A few minutes after she began eating, another figured entered the doorway and she stiffened when Ulquiorra walked inside, his jacket zipped up to his neck looking like the same Ulquiorra she remembered from her days in Las Noches.

"Good morning Ulquiorra-san." It felt strange saying good morning to him like they'd been friends for years and she was surprised when he actually responded in kind though his eyes didn't reflect the same feeling.

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal and just as she was about to stand up to leave, Grimmjow walked into the room, his pants hanging precariously on his hips and no shirt to speak of. His hair was a disheveled mess and his left hand was scratching the side of his ribs. She could barely see the blue of his eyes through the narrow slits of his eyelids and he groaned as he took a seat at the table.

"Hi Grimmjow," she hesitantly spoke, scared he would bite her head off if she was too loud.

A tilt of his head was the only answer he responded with and then he slowly poured himself a cup of steaming hot tea. Tessai placed a bowl full of food beside him but he ignored it till he finished his tea.

Orihime watched Ulquiorra rise and leave the room and she turned to do the same, hoping it wouldn't seem rude to leave while he was eating. As she was about to take her first step, Grimmjow's voice rumbled across the table, "Princess. Your boy will be here soon. Stay and heal us will ya."

'My boy?' she thought and put words to her question.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," Grimmjow answered without looking up.

"I… oh um, sure," she answered and quietly left the room.

Ulquiorra had overheard the conversation and rolled his eyes before vanishing down the hall. He hadn't planned on joining Grimmjow in his practice session but when he heard the door open a little bit later and Kurosaki Ichigo's voice echo down the hall, he found his feet moving out the door and down the stairway he'd walked down the previous evening. When he entered the basement, Ichigo was just releasing his spirit body and he watched his human body fall lifeless to the floor.

Orihime was nearby, her arms crossed nervously over her chest as she watched the two face off.

"Grimmjow. You do know this is just practice right?" Ichigo asked as he ground his feet into the hard dirt.

"Yea yea, let's go," said Grimmjow who didn't wait a second before attacking Ichigo, his blade raised above his head and slicing down towards Ichigo. The substitute shinigami blocked the attack easily and Ulquiorra turned his gaze away from the pair as he walked towards Orihime who still watched the pair as he approached.

The crunch of dirt beneath his feet alerted the woman to his presence and she turned surprised eyes to him and took a quick step back reflexively.

"Why do you not fight, woman?" Ulquiorra asked, stopping a few feet away from her.

Orihime was slightly shocked that Ulquiorra was speaking to her so it took her a second to wrap her brain around his question before answering, "I uh, I'm not good enough to practice with my friends. I usually practice on my own."

'Always underestimating her abilities,' he thought. He never understood why she felt like she was so weak. He reached a hand down to his hip and pulled out his sword.

Orihime's eyes widened when she saw the flash of metal in his hand and backed away again.

"Block me," he said evenly before slashing out at her.

She quickly threw up a shield which shattered upon contact with his sword and moved to the side. He came at her again, his free hand shoved in his pocket as he lunged and was stopped once again by her shield.

Orihime was too busy reacting to Ulquiorra's attacks to think about what was going on. Soon she was panting for breath, sweat beading on her forehead as she rested against a large boulder. She wasn't there long before Ulquiorra was coming at her again, this time a tiny ball of light forming at the tip of his finger.

"Shiten Kōshun!" she yelled just before the cero hit her. The blast was absorbed by her shield and deflected back in a ray of light, streaking towards Ulquiorra who quickly maneuvered himself away from the attack.

She watched him stand up, his sword lying passively at his side as he stared at her.

"You have improved," he said and took a step towards her. She didn't let her guard down as he approached and braced herself for another attack. When he was within a few feet from her, a sound echoed over the basement and she turned her head to find its source. At that moment, Ulquiorra raised his sword and pointed it at her throat, causing her to lift her head from the sharp point that threatened to pierce her skin.

"Your biggest weakness," he stated and relaxed his arm, removing the sword from her neck but not stepping back.

She glared at the man in front of her, wanting to hate him but not finding the emotion within her. She knew he was right. It also didn't escape her notice that he was helping her, doing the one thing only Rukia had offered to do with her.

With cool determination she nodded her head and readied herself for another attack, vowing to herself that she would start working with Tsubaki more so she wasn't constantly on the defensive. Ulquiorra came at her, his sword flying as he sliced the air around her. Each attack was easily blocked by her shield and when she saw him wind up for a massive blow, she moved to the side quickly but not quickly enough. His sword caught the sleeve of her shirt, slicing through the fabric and cutting a shallow line through the flesh on her upper arm. Blood started pouring out, staining her pink shirt and she was surprised by the look of horror on Ulquiorra's face which quickly disappeared; so fast that she wasn't sure if she'd imagined it.

"It's ok. It's not very deep," she quickly said and started healing herself. It only took 30 seconds for the wound to heal and she immediately squared off against Ulquiorra. She was enjoying this much more than she would admit to herself and didn't want it to end because of a small cut on her arm.

She waited for his next move, all her attention focused on him. He charged once again, his thrusts and lunges increasing in speed, making her move faster and faster and create her shield over and over again. In a flash, Ulquiorra's sword came towards her but changed direction at the last second, expecting to be deflected by her shield. She didn't have time to recreate the shield so she did the only thing she could think; she widened the shield till it covered a wide arc of her body, nearly tripling its normal size.

Ulquiorra eased his stance and brought his sword down to his side. "Well done," he said and sheathed his sword before turning to walk away.

Orihime watched his rigid figure move gracefully towards the stairs. She was panting, her heart beating rapidly in her chest from the exertion. Every muscle in her body seemed to ache painfully but yet… she'd never felt more alive.

Without thought, she sprinted forward and yelled out, "Wait!"

Ulquiorra abruptly stopped and turned his head slightly to the side.

"I… I wanted to thank you," she started, her eyes resting on his back which still faced her. "Maybe we could uh… do it again sometime? …tomorrow?" Her stomach churned uncomfortably as she waited for his response. What was she thinking asking him something like that? Why would someone like him want to help her? It was stupid of her to think that just because he'd found a moments curiosity towards her that he would continue to help her. "I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't…"

She was interrupted by a single word from Ulquiorra. "Tomorrow."

**Man, I have so many ideas running through my head for the direction of this story. **

**Please let me know what you think so far and thanks to everyone who has already reviewed, favorited or followed. **


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry to keep people waiting. I've been on vacation and just got back. **

**Chapter 3**

On the other side of the arena, Ichigo was busy fending off another round of attacks from Grimmjow. His body was tired and bruised from the practice session and he wanted a moment to rest. "Hey Grimmjow. Let's take a break."

"Aw come on. I was just getting warmed up," answered Grimmjow, his chest barely heaving from their exertion and looking like he could go all day.

Ichigo just shook his head, ignoring Grimmjow's comment and walked over to a nearby rock and took a seat. He glanced over to the side where Orihime had been, carefully fingering a bruise on his shoulder but she wasn't there. Abruptly he stood, his head swiveling back and forth around the room till in the distance he saw Ulquiorra walking towards the basement stairs with a dirty, sweaty, bloody… _bloody _Orihime standing behind him.

"Inoue! What the hell did you do to her?" Ichigo roared as he sprinted towards Ulquiorra and grabbed the thin Espada by the collar of his shirt. Ulquiorra stared back at Ichigo with emotionless eyes before Orihime grabbed Ichigo's arm and started tugging him away.

"Kurosaki-kun! Look… it's fine," she said slightly panicky as she held out her arm where the sleeve was stained red with blood. "He was helping me."

Ichigo looked at the unharmed skin beneath the slit in Orihime's shirt and released his hold on Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra didn't bother to say a word before continuing in the direction he'd been going before Ichigo had stopped him.

"What were you doing Inoue?" Ichigo asked Orihime who was watching Ulquiorra's retreating form.

"We uh, we were practicing together," she answered sheepishly, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Practicing? You mean he was attacking you?" he asked incredulously.

"Well yea but I'm sure he was going easy on me."

"Inoue, you could have been hurt! What were you thinking?" roared Ichigo.

Orihime felt her blood start to boil and she turned narrowed eyes towards Ichigo as she responded. "I am fine and actually, we are doing it again tomorrow." She didn't know why she was bothered so much by his lack of confidence in her. It wasn't any different than the norm. He did it with everyone. He was the one that constantly wanted to defend everyone and she knew he didn't mean it as an insult to his friends but she wasn't about to let him get in the way of her improving herself. She'd enjoyed the brief training session and she couldn't wait for the next one.

"Here, let me heal that." Orihime didn't wait for a response before her shield was working on the wound on Ichigo's shoulder. "You too Grimmjow," she yelled out, seeing the man standing a dozen or so yards from them.

"Me too what?" Grimmjow growled from where he stood.

"Get over here so I can heal you," she answered, placing her fisted hands on her hips.

Grimmjow was about to make a smart ass retort when suddenly he was shoved forward by a bright yellow shield till he stood beside Ichigo. He was too shocked to say anything so instead stared at the smirking Orihime as she broadened her healing shield to cover the bruise on his arm.

After just a few minutes, their injuries were completely fixed so Orihime sat back and watched them start sparring again. She was amazed by how quick they were and how much power was behind every swing of their swords. Grimmjow seemed to be enjoying himself, a constant grin on his face while Ichigo looked like he was concentrating intensely, sweat beading off both of their foreheads.

She decided to take the free time she had and bring out Tsubaki. He immediately flew out with his arms crossed over his chest and stared at her with an agitated glare.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Orihime answered nervously, "I uh, I thought we might… talk for a little while."

Tsubaki turned a piercing glare towards Orihime. "Why would I wanna talk? I'm meant to fight, not to entertain you."

Orihime bit her lip nervously as she tried to think of something to say. "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What the hell kind of talking would that be? That's stupid."

"But, I wanna learn how to fight better with you," she quickly stated.

"I can only fight as well as you let me. You don't have the spirit in you to fight which makes me weak. You have to _want_ to hurt someone or I'm useless."

Orihime nodded her head solemnly at his words. She'd been told this before but it still didn't change the fact that she wanted to get stronger. "Suppose I did truly want to hurt someone, even kill someone. What would you do?"

"This is stupid," he huffed and started flying back towards her hairclips.

"Wait!" Orihime said quickly before Tsubaki disappeared.

Tsubaki stopped and turned to face the girl one last time. "You know my name right. Think about it," he said and vanished.

Orihime sat for a while, trying to figure out what he meant by his last remark. 'His name… what does his name have to do with anything?' she wondered and was startled when shuffling footsteps approached her.

"Inoue… are you ok?" Ichigo asked, his face full of concern.

Orihime looked up at him and nodded. "Yea. I was just thinking about something."

"Well we're done now. Neither of us has any more injuries so you can go if you want. I appreciate your staying. Do you want me to walk you home?"

With a big smile Orihime stood up and answered, "Nah, that's ok. Cya Kurosaki-kun… Grimmjow."

Grimmjow grunted his farewell and stopped beside Ichigo. "So what are we doing now?"

Ichigo's brow wrinkled in confusion. "What are _we_ doing? I don't know what _you_ are doing but I'm going home."

"Fine. What is there to do there?" Grimmjow asked, following Ichigo up the stairway and out of the basement.

"I said _I'M _going home. Not you."

"Come on! It's so boring here," Grimmjow complained.

They reached the top of the stairs and Ichigo turned to face Grimmjow. "You'll just be bored at my place too."

"Ok then, where does the princess live?"

Ichigo narrowed his eyes angrily at Grimmjow before he answered. "I'm not telling you where she lives just so you can ogle her. Go do something with Ulquiorra or whatever."

"Pffft. Yea right. You might as well tell me. It's not like I can't find her by searching for her spiritual pressure."

"Ugh, fine!" Ichigo roared. "Just come back with me."

Grimmjow grinned satisfactorily and rushed into the other room where his gigai still lay on the floor. Ulquiorra was there, lying down peacefully on his matt with his arms folded beneath his head, staring at the ceiling. Grimmjow quickly grunted into the gigai and sped out of the room, catching up with Ichigo who was waiting just outside the front door.

"So where's your cousin?" Grimmjow asked, his hands shoved nonchalantly inside his white uniform pants. Ichigo looked over at him, a momentary confusion distorting his face before he realized who Grimmjow was talking about. It still hadn't sunk in that Uryu was his cousin.

"I don't fricken know. He's probably home sewing a new outfit or something."

"Sewing? Quincy's sew?" Grimmjow asked with a smirk.

Ichigo couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped his lips before he nodded. "Well, that one does. Speaking of, are you going to change out of those clothes ever?"

Grimmjow stopped on the sidewalk and looked down at his outfit. "What's wrong with them?"

"No one wears pants like those in public and your um… lack of shirt is a bit, strange."

They turned into Ichigo's walk way and passed through the front door. Ichigo waved at Yuzu who was standing at the kitchen counter, stirring some pot of food but he didn't bother to introduce Grimmjow who followed closely behind. When they entered Ichigo's room, Grimmjow plopped unceremoniously on to the bed crosswise so that his legs were dangling off the side as Ichigo walked to his closet and slid the door open.

"Here, try this," said Ichigo as he tossed a black t-shirt towards Grimmjow which landed on his face. Grimmjow assessed the shirt and sat up, shrugging the blue vest off and sliding the t-shirt over his head. It fit, but barely, though Grimmjow didn't seem to mind the fabric that clung to his broad shoulders and pecs. "I don't know if I'll have any pants that will fit you."

"You calling me fat?" Grimmjow said, shooting Ichigo a nasty look.

"Well you're bigger than I am so yea… maybe I am calling you fat."

Grimmjow grinned and sat up. Ichigo didn't like the look on Grimmjow's face and quickly yanked a loose pair of pants from his closet and threw them at the blue haired Espada. "Try those. If they don't work, maybe I can steal some of my dads."

Grimmjow stood up and started undoing the belt around his waist…

"Hey! What are you doing?!" hollered Ichigo, shielding his face with his hands.

"Trying them on. You just told me to."

"But... not here. Go try them on in the bathroom."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Grimmjow grumbled and just as Ichigo was about to lift his hand from his eyes, he heard what sounded like fabric hitting the floor and quickly clenched his eyelids shut. A moment later he heard Grimmjow struggling and grunting as he tried to pull Ichigo's pants on.

"How skinny are you? Jeez!" Grimmjow complained and Ichigo opened his eyes when he heard what sounded like a zipper being pulled closed.

Ichigo burst out in laughter at the sight of Grimmjow standing there, the blue jeans practically suction cupped to his thighs and waist. He stopped when the focus of his laughter punched him in the shoulder and quickly unzipped the pants.

"Lemme go look in my dad's room. Hold on."

Grimmjow slid the too tight pants off and left them in a heap on the floor while he took a seat and waited for Ichigo to return. When the teen came back with another pair of pants in his hands, he stood up and reached a hand out for the offered article of clothing.

"Seriously Grimm... Do you have no modesty?" muttered Ichigo as he covered his eyes again at the sight of Grimmjow standing in his room in just a t-shirt and underwear.

"Who cares? It's not like you don't have the same shit I do… maybe just not the same size," Grimmjow said and winked as he slid on the jeans. The jeans slid easily up and buttoned without difficulty as he adjusted them on his waist.

Ichigo chose to ignore Grimmjow's remark and said, "Much better. At least now you won't be getting odd looks everywhere we go." He took a seat at the head of his bed and watched Grimmjow sit back down in the center in what seemed to be turning in to his customary pose on his bed.

"I'm hungry," complained Grimmjow and enforced it with his hand rubbing over his flat stomach.

Ichigo's own stomach was starting to rumble and he thought of his sister downstairs who had been cooking something as they'd walked inside.

"Alright. Let's go see what my sister made."

* * *

Orihime closed her apartment door behind her and threw her bag down on to the carpeted floor. Her body ached but she had never felt better. She was still riding off the high she'd gotten while defending herself from Ulquiorra and felt a giddiness she hadn't felt for quite some time lingering low in her belly.

She knew it was odd that she could be so excited about something so simple, especially when it was with a man who had kidnapped her and been her enemy less than two years ago. Still though, she couldn't shake the feeling and she was eagerly anticipating the next day's session.

She went about making herself something to eat, noting that it was nearly dinner time and started humming a happy tune as she work around the kitchen. While she was eating, her thoughts wandered to the disaster that had struck Soul Society. It tore at her heart thinking about all the people who had been killed or injured in the most recent battle. She felt a bit guilty for the licks of excitement that were still coursing through her but reasoned that her practicing was a good thing, and she shouldn't feel ashamed for wanting to better herself.

Still though, the image of Rukia and Renji, clinging to one another as they mourned the passing of Byakuya made a lump form in her throat and she wished desperately that she had been able to help him. If she could have been just a little bit stronger…

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on her door. She wiped the few stray tears that had started streaking down her face and made her way to the front door.

"Orihime, are you ok?" Tatsuki asked once the door was opened and she saw her best friend's red lined eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying recently.

Orihime plastered a big smile on her face and answered, "Yea, I'm fine! How are you Tatsuki?" She took a step back as she let the tomboyish girl inside and then closed the door behind her.

Tatsuki decided not to push the matter since she knew there were a lot of things that Orihime simply wasn't allowed to discuss with 'normal humans.' It still bothered her how helpless she felt since that Aizen guy had come and she had watched two of her closest friends risk their lives to protect them. She knew there was a lot more to that story than Orihime and Ichigo were telling her but she didn't pester them. Instead, she'd thrown herself into her training, more so than even before. She'd become obsessed with bettering herself, hoping in vane that some day she might be able to help her friends as well, though she knew it was impossible. The amount of power and strength she'd felt coming from Ichigo and the Aizen fellow had been overwhelming, something she'd never experienced before and it had nothing to do with pure, human, physical strength or ability.

With a sigh, Tatsuki answered, "I'm good. I just wanted to see if you were ok since you missed a few days of school."

Orihime laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. "Oh yea, I did. I just… had something come up." She took a seat on the corner of her couch and curled her legs beneath her before she continued. "It's Saturday right?"

Tatsuki nodded her head and took a seat in an overstuffed chair near the couch. "Will you be at school on Monday?"

Biting her lip, Orihime answered, "Umm, I don't know."

'Figures,' Tatsuki thought as she sighed and tried not to think about it any more. She knew Orihime had her reasons.

They spent the rest of the evening together and Orihime was thankful for the distraction from the direction her thoughts had been going before Tatsuki stopped by. As Orihime lay in bed after Tatsuki left, she started to think about what Tsubaki had said. His name… what could that mean? What does his name have to do with anything?

She decided that maybe she would ask Ulquiorra tomorrow. She wasn't sure if he would be at all willing to help her with that but she would see how things went and judge his attitude then.

A smile spread over her face as she remembered once again their training session this morning. At the time, she'd been so focused on what she needed to do to fend off his attacks that she hadn't had time to notice much else. Now, she thought about the way his face had remained impassive except when she'd block a more difficult attack. During those few instances, it almost looked like he was proud of her, like she'd exceeded his expectations of her abilities.

In the corner of her mind she remembered the way his body had moved while he pursued her. She noted the grace which seemed to accompany everything he did, including the way he swung his sword. Every movement seemed effortless to him and she admired the way his lean muscles tensed and swelled beneath his white jacket. And his eyes… wow, his eyes were incredible. She'd always admired their color and intensity, the lush midnight lashes that framed them which most women would kill for, but it was different now, looking at him as _not _an enemy. There was something indescribably fascinating about his eyes and the way they took in everything around him, like he was searching for deeper meaning in the objects around him.

She shook her head to erase the thoughts flooding her brain, surprised by the way her tummy reacted to the images. A pleasant warmth had seeped into her lower stomach and a strange tingling sensation spread throughout her body.

The night went by blissfully dreamlessly and she awoke the next day, eager to leave and make her way back to Urahara's basement.

* * *

Ulquiorra awoke when the sun started to shine through the small window on the opposite side of the room. Grimmjow was fast asleep still, only a few yards away and his gigai was a pile of body parts near his feet. Ulquiorra slipped on his white jacket after he stood up and quietly left the room, hoping to find the rest of the place empty.

As he walked down the hallway, he could hear someone in a nearby room banging pots and pans together so he quickly slid into the room he remembered Urahara showing him which contained the gigai's and slid one on. He'd wanted to do this last night but had felt funny trying it on for the first time when a bunch of people were around the house to see him when he walked out.

The gigai felt strange and he stretched his limbs out to try to settle into the foreign body more comfortably. Another noise penetrated the area so he quickly walked out of the room and exited the front door, thankful that he hadn't run into anyone on the way out.

With his hands shoved deep into his pockets, Ulquiorra started making his way down the street, enjoying the quiet of the morning and the cool, brisk air on his semi-fake skin. It felt odd when the breeze blew through his hair where his helmet usually resides… 'oddly good,' he thought to himself.

He passed a couple of people as they walked out of their houses, receiving strange looks which he ignored. He knew he must look weird with his extremely pale complexion and jet black hair. Even as an Espada he hadn't fit in; preferring to keep to himself rather than socialize with the others. He couldn't remember a time when he had fit in with the people around him, maybe he never had throughout all his lives. It didn't matter though, acceptance wasn't something he was longing for. He was content to be alone though even he would admit that sometimes it was simply safer to be with others; this instance being one of those times. He knew the chances for surviving on his own through this ordeal were minimal which is why he'd accepted Urahara's invitation to join him and the others.

As he turned the corner, lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly assaulted by someone crashing into him, making him stumble back. He reached his arms out and steadied the person who'd rushed into him, long sun kissed orange hair cascading over his arms and a slight yet curvy form pressed tightly to his body. He felt his body reacting to the touch, muscles tightening and sparks of fire warming his normally cold form. 'Was this a side effect of the gigai?' he wondered. His breath hissed out when steal colored eyes stared up at him and he released his grasp on the woman while a stuttering apology came flowing out of the girls lips.

"Ulquiorra! I'm so sorry. I… I wasn't paying attention." Orihime barely allowed herself to look at the man in front of her, utterly embarrassed by their accident a moment ago.

"It's fine," Ulquiorra grumbled while he adjusted his clothing and straightened up.

Orihime finally lifted her head and looked at the man in front of her, gasping when she saw his appearance. Gone was the bone white helmet that used to cover half of his head, hiding from view the wonderfully full and slightly wavy black hair that was now there. If she'd thought his eyes were incredible before, the sight of them now, with the darkness of his hair contrasting wonderfully with the emerald green, was amazing. She had to remind herself to breath while she stood there and suddenly realized that she was staring at him.

"S… sorry," she mumbled and turned her eyes down towards the ground. "I was on my way over… to practice again but if I'm too early, I can come back."

"We can do it now," he answered and turned in the opposite direction to head back to Urahara's shop.

Orihime followed close behind, taking the opportunity to enjoy the sight of Ulquiorra from behind. She had an urge to run her fingers through his hair, testing it to see if it was as soft as it looked and then nearly smacked herself for her thoughts. What was wrong with her? This was Ulquiorra she was admiring, the man who had nearly destroyed her life less than two years ago. She'd been slightly nervous that he would forget his promise to her to help her again this morning but here she was, heading back to the basement with him to start another session. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face.

**Again, sorry about the long wait between chapters. I hope you enjoyed. Let me know what you think so far. I have a basic direction I want to take this story but I'm always open to suggestions… especially with this story. Nothing is set in stone.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Orihime readied herself as another thrust of Ulquiorra's sword came slicing her way. His attacks were getting harder, the weight of his sword on her shield becoming heavier. She could feel the strength seeping from her quickly as she defended herself. No matter what she did, he was always there with another strike aimed at her.

The sweat poured down her face and neck, dampening the neckline of her purple t-shirt. She noted Ulquiorra's appearance, not a hair was out of place nor a bead of sweat coated his alabaster skin. As his sword arced down once again towards her, she threw up her attack shield and concentrated her power on the impact. Instead of hitting her shield though, Ulquiorra sidestepped the yellow barrier and darted towards her, startling her and causing her to desperately cry out, "Tsubaki!"

The tiny fairy flew out and sped towards Ulquiorra but only successfully managed to momentarily distract him. It was enough though and Orihime threw up another shield and jumped away, squaring her shoulders again to get ready for another attack.

"What was that?" Ulquiorra asked as he straightened up and loosened his grip on his sword.

Orihime wavered for a second, caught off guard by Ulquiorra's pause. "It's one of my fairies," she answered, feeling unsure of what he was thinking.

"I've seen that fairy before, the first time I saw you. He was destroyed by Yami. How is it that he is alive?"

"A friend brought him back for me."

Ulquiorra nodded and took a step forward though his sword was still lying limp at his side. "What does he do?"

Orihime's brows knit in confusion and she straightened up as she answered. "He's my attack fairy though I haven't been able to make good use of him as of yet."

"Why not?" he further asked, making Orihime wonder why he was so curious though she was secretly thrilled since she had wanted to ask him this anyway.

"My fairies feed off the desire within me. That's why I am able to heal and shield people. I don't want to see harm come to anyone but that same desire keeps me from successfully attacking anyone."

Ulquiorra nodded once again and took another step towards her, bringing him to within two feet of her. "You called out something just before he appeared. What was it?"

Orihime took a deep breath, trying to control the wild fluttering within her and answered, "Tsubaki. That's his name."

"Ah… Tsubaki. The Camellia flower. Such a silently beautiful, force of nature."

Orihime's eyes widened at his words and a zillion thoughts started running through her head but were interrupted by the sound of feet coming down the stairs. She turned her attention in that direction and saw Grimmjow followed by Ichigo entering the basement.

"Hi guys!" she called out as she lifted her hand and waved at the pair. Grimmjow acknowledged her with a nod of his head and Ichigo mimicked her actions and waved back.

"Are you ready to start again?" Ulquiorra asked, snapping Orihime out of her brief distraction.

"I have a question first," she said, stealing up the courage to ask him what she wanted. "You know the meaning of my fairies name. What significance does it play with fighting?"

Ulquiorra gripped his sword tighter and answered, "It has no fighting significance."

Before she was able to analyze his response, Ulquiorra's sword was slicing towards her and she spent the next dozen or so minutes defending herself. She was so involved with what she was doing that she didn't even hear the crush of footsteps pounding down the stairwell till they appeared at the bottom.

Both her and Ulquiorra turned at the same time and watched the strangers with wide eyes. They could feel the spiritual pressure emanating from the small group, the power nearly overwhelming in its strength.

The five shinigami walked towards Ichigo and stopped in front of him. Orihime ran towards him and stopped when she was close enough to hear what was being said and she felt, rather than heard, Ulquiorra stopped beside her.

"Kurosaki Ichigo. We have been ordered to bring you with us to the Spirit Palace," said the large man in the front of the pack. His massive arms were crossed over his chest and he had a grin over his face that made him look like he knew something everyone else didn't.

A stunned Ichigo stared at the group and barely registered Grimmjow stepping in front of him, returning the haughty gesture and asking, "Who are you?"

The large lady behind the front man giggled and quickly answered, "We're the zero division. And who are you Mr. Cute Espada?"

Grimmjow didn't lose a step as he answered quickly, "Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Sexta Espada."

"Oh, how adorable!" she said, a huge smile on her chubby face.

Grimmjow grinned wickedly and huffed when Ichigo suddenly elbowed him in the ribs.

"Urahara told me you would come. Why do you want me to come with you? I'm needed down here," said Ichigo.

"Urahara is a very smart man. Did he tell you not to come with us?" the thin man at the back of the group asked while chewing on something Ichigo couldn't see.

"Well… no," Ichigo answered. "But that still doesn't change the fact that I am needed here."

"You have already faced Juha Bach and were not able to defeat him. Do you see that changing any time soon?"

"Nothing I do is ever predictable. How am I supposed to know?"

"Come with us. There is much you need to know and see."

Ichigo sighed and turned to Orihime. "Stay safe Inoue. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Orihime nodded and watched Ichigo walk forward towards the group.

"Hey! He's not going anywhere without me," said an arrogant voice which was followed by another giggle from the large female in the zero division.

"Sure, why not? He'll make things interesting if nothing else."

Ichigo glared at Grimmjow as the blue haired Espada fell into step beside him.

Orihime watched the procession wide eyed and even continued to stare at the stairway long after the group left. 'What a strange group of people,' she thought and was snapped back to the present by Ulquiorra's deep voice.

"Do you want to continue?" he asked, his eyes looking at her. She would almost swear she could see concern in their emerald depths.

"Yes please. I just need a moment though." So much was running through her mind from the sudden appearance of the royal guard, to Ichigo leaving, as well as Ulquiorra's comments earlier about her attack fairy, that she felt that she needed some time to let her mind adapt to all the changes. She was getting used to watching Ichigo plunge into battle head on, mindless of the danger he was getting into. And the matter of Tsubaki, she wanted desperately to ask Ulquiorra more about him but didn't dare. She didn't want to push her luck.

"Ok, I'm ready," she said, positioning herself a few feet in front of Ulquiorra. She watched his lithe body turn towards her and lunge to attack. She knew her defense was getting better, recognizing the difference in power that he used against her now compared to the previous day. Still though, she hated that all she did was defend with the occasional deflection of the attackers power which Ulquiorra had already figured out.

When Ulquiorra's arms lifted over his head to bring down another crushing blow, Orihime was momentarily distracted by the glimpse of pale, taut skin which peaked out underneath Ulquiorra's jacket when the material slid up slightly.

"Onna…" Ulquiorra hissed, falling to the side to avoid hurting Orihime. He didn't know what happened. One minute, the woman was perfectly focused, her power getting stronger and stronger. The next, she was spaced out, staring at some unknown object and completely forgetting to defend herself. If he hadn't noticed at the last second that she wasn't paying attention, he could have sliced her in half.

"You could have been killed," Ulquiorra said to a stunned Orihime who stood above him, staring down at him with wide eyes.

"I'm so sorry," she quickly apologized, offering her hand to help him up.

He ignored the gesture and rose to his feet on his own, dusting the dirt off his clothes and turning aggravated eyes to Orihime. "You need to learn focus."

Orihime bit her lip nervously, unable to look Ulquiorra in the face after what she'd done. She felt a blush stain her cheeks as she thought of the cause for her distraction. What was wrong with her? Why was she having these thoughts?

She knew he was right. She could be killed if she didn't learn how to pay better attention. She was lucky he'd been able to stop himself. Who knows what would have happened if he hadn't?

"I'm sorry," was all she seemed able to say as he stared at her.

Ulquiorra didn't like the feeling building low in his belly as the woman looked at him with such sorrow filled eyes. "Fine. Let's continue," he said and adjusted the sword in his hand.

They battled till Orihime was gasping for breath, every muscle screaming in pain with every movement she made. Even Ulquiorra showed slight signs of fatigue. His sword strokes grew weaker and slower along with the reaction time between attacks. Orihime was relieved when Ulquiorra finally sheathed his sword and took a seat on a nearby boulder.

Orihime moved to sit beside him, careful to keep a safe distance. When she finally caught her breath, she turned her head and said, "Thank you. This must be awfully boring for you but I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. It might not be much but I can feel myself getting better."

Ulquiorra didn't agree with her about the boring part but didn't bother to say so out loud. Instead he said, "You are improving but you need more work."

Orihime silently hoped that that would mean he would continue to help her. A grumbling noise startled her and she almost burst out laughing when she realized the noise was coming from Ulquiorra's stomach. "Do you wanna get something to eat?" she asked, surprised that she would have the courage to ask.

Large green eyes turned towards her and his nod made something tighten in her belly. "Great! I'm starved," she announced and stood up.

When they reached the top of the stairs, Ulquiorra left to put on his gigai. Orihime was momentarily speechless once again at the sight of him but quickly shook her head and led the way out of the shop. There was little conversation between them as they made their way down the sidewalk but a comfortable companionability grew which made Orihime smile to herself. She could get used to being friends with Ulquiorra. His silent strength lent her a sort of peace of mind which she hadn't experienced in a long time, maybe even since her brother's passing.

"Do you like ramen?" she asked.

Ulquiorra shrugged and said, "That's fine."

Orihime turned into a nearby shop and found two open seats at a long, bar type seating area. They placed their order and then waited. A table on the other side of the small room contained three girls about the same age as Orihime who were all giggling and peaking in her direction. At first she was annoyed by the girls, not enjoying the fact that she was being laughed at, but then realized that it wasn't her their attention was turned to. It was the person seated to her left… Ulquiorra.

Her first reaction was anger. How dare they be so cruel and laugh at someone they didn't even know. But then, she noticed the way the girls kept looking at him and then whispering to each other behind cupped hands. She watched one girl stand up and make her way towards where she and Ulquiorra were sitting. The girl had shoulder length dark brown hair and eyes of nearly the same color. Her cheeks were stained pink and her hands fidgeted nervously behind her back.

"Um, excuse me?" the girl said as she stopped beside Ulquoirra.

Orihime watched Ulquiorra turn his head slowly towards the girl and she nearly laughed out loud when the girls eyes widened in astonishment. She could completely understand her reaction. The full force of Ulquiorra's captivating eyes still left her amazed at times.

The girl continued nervously, "Hi. Uh, I was wondering if y-you had a girlfriend?"

Orihime watched Ulquiorra's entire body stiffen as if he'd just been slapped and she wished at the moment, that she could see his face. Unfortunately, at this angle, all she could see was his right shoulder and the back of his dark head. After a few uncomfortable seconds of silence where Ulquiorra did nothing but grow more and more tense, Orihime finally lifted her hand and rested it on his shoulder saying, "Yea he does. Sorry."

The girl nodded and quickly scurried back to her seat where the group started a new round of giggling.

When Ulquiorra turned and looked at her in confusion, she bit her bottom lip nervously and tried to explain. "I thought it would be easier to just lie."

"But, you made them think…"

"Sorry! I shouldn't have butted in," Orihime quickly apologized.

Ulquiorra blinked and said, "Thank you." He wanted to ask more, wondering why she would do that for him. He truly was thankful, that much he was certain of but the strange feelings that coursed through his body when she'd insinuated that she was his girlfriend left him confused and uncomfortable. Luckily the arrival of their food distracted him and he tried not to think about the strange confrontation further.

They finished their bowls of food and left the shop, heading back in the direction of Urahara's place.

"Can I meet you again?" Orihime asked hesitantly as they approached the shop.

Ulquiorra nodded in answer and stopped when he noticed the woman beside him stop walking.

"My place is that way," she said, pointing down a side street. "If you ever get bored… you should stop by," she suggested.

Ulquiorra watched her leave, noting the sun starting to go down in the distance. It was hard to believe they had spent nearly the entire day together. When she was out of sight, he turned and walked the few dozen yards to Urahara's.

'What a strange afternoon,' he thought as he walked through the front door and made his way to the back where his room was. The woman ceased to amaze him. Not only was she extraordinarily strong, though she had no clue of her own strength, but she was genuinely kind and caring. How many people could transition from being someone's prisoner to being that person's friend?

For the rest of the evening Ulquiorra sat alone in his temporary room. He spent a great deal of the time thinking about the strange visitors that had come to take Ichigo away this morning, taking with them Grimmjow as well. A part of him was secretly thankful to not have to deal with the blue haired hot head anymore, or at least for a little while. It was no secret that they didn't get along well. The only reason they'd been together when Urahara's group had run into them was because of a need for security. Their palace and surrounding land had been overrun by their new enemy and working together had basically been their only option for survival.

Before he fell asleep, he thought about Orihime's offer before she'd walked away. He was curious to see what her living arrangements were like but 'hanging out' seemed strange to the extreme. Spending much time with other people was not something he was accustomed to though he also wasn't accustomed to sitting around someone else's house with nothing to do. He'd have to give it more thought tomorrow.

* * *

Ichigo stared in awe at his surroundings; certain he had never seen anything so grand in his entire life. Before him rose a monstrous palace that gleamed in white and gold. Two half circle balconies jutted out of the front wall of the building, lined with golden railings done with flowery pattern bars. He could vaguely make out a lone figure standing on the balcony to the left, seeming to be unmoving as it stared out in the distance. Other than that, there was not a soul around (no pun intended).

Behind the palace he could see a handful of other smaller buildings though to call them small was way understating it. They were mansions in themselves, each surrounded by nearly a dozen buildings slightly smaller than them.

Beside him, Grimmjow looked equally as awed which was quite a feet considering the size of Aizen's palace of Las Noches. The palace in front of them now was not quite as massive in size as Las Noches but the grandeur of it far exceeded the white washed walls and furnishings that Aizen had maintained.

"Am I gonna have to give you guys a handkerchief to wipe the drool off your faces soon?" a gruff voice said sarcastically nearby.

Grimmjow was the first to react, shooting the man with the funky hairdo an angry scowl.

"You're coming with me first," the man continued and started walking down a white gravel pathway, not waiting to see if the two men followed. Ichigo turned and looked at Grimmjow, his eyebrows knit in confusion, especially when the rest of the group headed off in the opposite direction without a word except from the large lady who giggled and said good bye to Grimmjow.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Ichigo turned and started down the gravel path behind the strange man, Grimmjow moving beside him as they went.

Ichigo was surprised to feel a small bit of comfort having Grimmjow with him. For all of Grimmjow's conceit and hot headedness, Ichigo found it easy to understand him. He never had to worry about any hidden meaning behind his words or any secret agenda. It was easy being with him… easy and straightforward.

He abruptly snapped out of his thoughts when Grimmjow elbowed him in the ribs. "What the fuck are you day dreamin' about?"

"None of your damn business," Ichigo replied and punched his shoulder in retaliation.

"Hurry up!" the man from the zero division hollered before turning down another path that led away from the palace and the other buildings nearby.

* * *

"Taicho, have you seen Rukia or Renji? No one knows where they are?" Rangiku said upon entering her captain's quarters.

The room was empty when she looked around and she sighed, feeling more alone than she'd felt in her entire life. Gin was gone, she'd lost him nearly two years ago. Kira was recently departed during the Quincy invasion and her captain was never around, always out obsessively practicing.

With head downcast, she quietly left the room, once again wondering where Rukia and Renji had gone.

* * *

Orihime lay in bed, lost in a terrifying dream. The setting was familiar, the characters the same as so many of her dreams of late. She watched long, lean fingers reach towards her. The most sorrowful eyes settled on hers, asking her without words to bare her soul to him.

She did… with only a moment's hesitation.

Her hand reached out, needing the contact to affirm her riotous emotions. She was a breath away, so close to touching that beautiful object when suddenly a long, narrow sword protruded from the man in front of hers' belly. His already wide eyes grew larger, staring at her with regret and longing. She watched him fall to his knees, clutching his stomach and coughing up mouthfuls of blood which streamed down his chin and neck.

A shadow stood behind him, a malicious laugh erupting from the large figure with reddish brown eyes.

Orihime felt the blood inside her start to boil, her muscles tensing and her hands clenching into fists at her sides. Her eyes bore holes through the targets face, glaring at the man with more hatred than she'd felt in her entire life. A moment later, without a word leaving her mouth, the man grabbed at his chest and started choking for air. He fell to the ground, staring at the sky as his hands continued to grab at his chest. His limbs began to thrash wildly, his body convulsing and eyes bulging from his face.

A great stillness took over the figure and Tsubaki came flying towards her, disappearing into her clips as the air seeped from the man's lungs in a long, whispering sigh.

Orihime fell to her knees beside Ulquiorra, reaching her hands out to cup his cheeks and turn his head towards hers. She watched his eyelids flutter open and…

… Orihime awoke with a gasp, hands fisted in the sheets beside her and small tendrils of hair stuck to her sweat covered forehead. Her chest heaved with her heavy intakes of air and she struggled to hold back the flood of tears she felt gathering inside.

'It was just a dream… just a dream.'

**Hope everyone is enjoying so far!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Good morning," Orihime said cheerily as she entered the basement. Ulquiorra was already there, sitting crossed legged on the ground with his sword on his lap. He stood up as soon as he heard Orihime and dusted off his uniform with his hands.

"You are early," he said while he watched the woman practically skip towards him.

"Yea, I didn't sleep well so I thought I would come over and see if you were up. You can keep doing whatever you were doing before I came. I don't mind waiting."

"I'm done," Ulquiorra said simply and readied his sword in his hand.

They practiced for a while, Orihime starting to get used to his style of fighting. She liked how he pushed her hard, forcing her to up her game to keep up. His attacks were already noticeably stronger than what he'd started out doing a few days ago.

When Ulquiorra sheathed his sword, signaling a small break, Orihime decided to take the opportunity to tell him a little bit about her dream last night. Of course she wasn't going to tell him _all _the details but she wanted to hear his thoughts on the part that consisted of Tsubaki.

"Ulqui, can I ask you a question?" she started, already lost in her dream.

"My name is Ulquiorra," he stated and then said, "Ask your question."

Orihime gulped the lump down that had lodged itself in her throat and said, "Sorry Ulquiorra.

"I umm had a strange dream last night. There was this guy and he killed someone which upset me a lot. The man started laughing and all I did was stand there but suddenly he started beating at his chest and gasping for air. I continued to stare at him and the next thing I know, he was lying on the floor, dead. When it was over, Tsubaki came flying back into my hair clips.

"What do you think it means? Anything?"

Ulquiorra was silent for a few moments, his arms crossed over his chest and his head tilted downward towards the ground. He was sitting on a large boulder, his feet resting flat on the floor as he seemed to be thinking about what she'd just told him.

"Do you know who the guy is?" he asked, still staring at the rocky floor.

"Which one?"

"The one you killed."

Orihime bit her bottom lip and thought for a moment. "The one who started laughing?"

"Yes."

"Well um, no. I've never seen him before. You think I killed that man in the dream?"

Ulquiorra nodded and said, "Why else would Tsubaki be out?"

Orihime shrugged and continued to listen to Ulquiorra.

"You don't remember doing anything though?"

She shook her head and said, "Nothing. I remember being really angry, furious… but I didn't do anything. I didn't even say anything."

Ulquiorra nodded again and passed his thumb over his bottom lip while he sat silently thinking. Orihime's eyes fastened to the motion, steel grey traveling along his lip along with his thumb. Unconsciously she licked her own lower lip then bit down on the plump pink flesh.

When Ulquiorra lifted his eyes back up to Orihime's to ask her a question, he noticed her distracted look and dropped his hand to his lap. Abruptly her eyes shot back to his own and he could see her cheeks turning a rosy shade. Something washed through his body, a sort of gut clenching warmth that made him almost shiver from the sensation. He stood up and started pacing the rocky floor, shoving his hands inside his pockets out of habit. The question he'd been about to ask her was a struggle to remember but eventually he thought of it and said, "Who was the person he stabbed?"

Orihime didn't think her face could get any redder but when he asked that question her face went up in flames. She took a seat on the spot Ulquiorra had just abandoned and brought her knees up to her chest, resting her chin on them and wrapping her arms around her legs. Did she dare tell him that he was the one in her dream? Her teeth bit her lip nervously and she was so lost in thought that she didn't even hear Ulquiorra move to stand directly in front of her, waiting for her answer.

"It was uh…," should she lie? For some reason she didn't think she could. His eyes were looking at her with their usual intensity and before she realized what she was doing she muttered, "You. It was you."

Ulquiorra's eyes widened marginally and he stared at Orihime in wonder. Did she suffer from the same dreams he did? Did the past haunt her just like it haunted him? Of course she didn't agonize over that moment like he did. The thought was absurd and he quickly vanquished it from his mind.

But why was she dreaming about him?

"Sorry," Orihime practically squeaked when she saw his reaction. She didn't mean to make him feel uncomfortable.

'Is she kidding?' Ulquiorra wondered. "Are you apologizing for killing me in your dream?"

"No! I mean um… yes. Err, I mean… I didn't kill you. That man stabbed you but you didn't die."

"Well it's your dream right? And the man was only doing what your brain told him to do."

She supposed he was right but it felt wrong. "Still though, you didn't die."

"It doesn't matter. What does matter though is that you were able to kill the man without any movement or command. I think your subconscious might be trying to tell you something about your abilities."

Finally. The reason for her revealing her dream to him came to the surface of their conversation. She was relieved to leave the awkward direction they'd been going in. "That's what I was thinking but I wanted to know if you thought the same thing."

"Orihime! Ulquiorra!" a voice hollered and the nearby stairs creaked as someone hurried down them. Urahara's shaggy, hat covered head came into view and Orihime and Ulquiorra both sprinted over to him with concern clearly etched on their faces.

"Uryu is gone. He went missing some time last night. His father told me this morning and now he's gone as well."

"Oh my God, Ishida-kun!" Orihime said, panic tingeing her voice.

"Were there any clues left?" Ulquiorra asked, remaining calm.

"None that I was able to see," answered Urahara but a shadow crept over his face that Orihime noticed.

"But… you know something," Orihime said, taking a step closer to Urahara.

The shop owner nodded and sighed. "I have reason to believe that he went searching for the Quincies on his own."

Orihime gasped and said, "You don't think… Oh no! He wouldn't!"

"Uryu has been struggling with his own demons of late. He has a fierce loyalty to his Quincy heritage but his life has been turned upside down since his introduction to the spirit world. Spending so much time in the company of Soul Reapers and his cousin in particular has made him question some of his long held beliefs.

"Then of course, there is his friendship to you and Ichigo. His need to protect is nearly as strong as Ichigo's but he has been slower at developing his abilities; slowed by the belief that he was somewhat limited in his Quincy abilities. Now he finds out that there is a whole legion of Quincy with abilities ranging as far wide as Soul Reapers. I can't say what his reasons for leaving are but it is obvious that he will need help and support."

"Where should I go?" Orihime asked without hesitation.

Ulquiorra was only mildly surprised that Orihime volunteered immediately. Her devotion to her friends was never in doubt and he admired her courage in the face of such a huge unknown.

"I believe he went back to Hueco Mundo, where the Quincy are camped."

"But how…" Orihime started to ask but was interrupted by Urahara.

"Uryu is a smart boy. He figured out how to open dimensions after your first trip there," Urahara answered and smirked at Ulquiorra.

Ulquiorra wasn't sure why he felt uncomfortable after the man's last statement. Surely he wasn't feeling guilty about kidnapping Orihime.

Orihime ignored the tension between Urahara and Ulquiorra. "I need to go get some stuff. I'll be back in thirty minutes," she said and sprinted up the stairs till she was gone from view.

"Will you be going as well?" Ulquiorra asked a retreating Urahara.

"I was just about to ask you the same question."

* * *

"Welcome to my home. My name is Tenjiro Kirinji, The Hot Springs Demon," the man with the strange hairdo said with a confident if not cocky grin.

Ichigo and Grimmjow eyed the strange man and walked into the large manor house. Though they both tried to take in their surroundings, they didn't have much time to absorb the enormity of the place because Tenjiro walked quickly towards the back of the building and opened up glass double doors that led to a lush green garden. Several hot springs dotted the area and Ichigo could vaguely make out the shape of what looked like someone floating lifelessly in the water.

"Ichigo!" a familiar voice yelled and suddenly Ichigo was tackled to the ground by a large figure with scarlet hair.

Grimmjow watched the scene unfold, a twinge of something sour hitting his gut. The pair rolled around the ground, obviously happy to see each other as they laughed and wrestled around. Another figure appeared, vaguely familiar, and stopped beside the pair with her arms crossed over her small chest. She had a serious expression on her face but he could tell she was trying to hold back the smile from her face.

"Ichigo, Renji… get up you morons," the small girl said in a voice that was deeper than Grimmjow expected which gave her a mysterious authoritative air.

The two men picked themselves up from the ground and Ichigo looked at Rukia with warmth and respect. "Is that…" Ichigo started to say while pointing at a figure floating in the water.

"Nii-sama… yes it is," Rukia answered and this time she couldn't conceal the smile. "He's going to be ok."

Her attention turned towards Grimmjow who was still standing in the pathway, his arms crossed over his large chest. The instant her eyes widened in recognition, his memory came flooding back; images of his hand piercing her small body and throwing her to the side like she was a piece of trash. He didn't regret what he'd done. They'd been enemies. But for some reason, the look she was giving him made his skin crawl and an unpleasant feeling crept over him.

Violet eyes held his and he watched her approach him, her hands on her surprisingly supple hips and a strand of black hair falling across her eyes.

"Rukia?" Renji said questioningly, trying to read the expression on her face.

"Oh fuck! Rukia, it's ok… err well, it's sort of ok. He's on our side now. He came here with me." Ichigo stepped his body between Rukia and Grimmjow, his body shuddering from the menacing glare Rukia was sending towards Grimmjow.

"Ok? It's… ok? This man skewers me alive and it's… ok?" Rukia rages while poking Ichigo's chest with her finger.

"Well, yea. Renji tried to kill me twice and we're friends now. Not to mention Grimmjow tried to kill me like four or five times and we're… sort of friends now too. Heck, nearly all my friends tried to kill me at some point."

A chuckle behind Ichigo made him turn around and stare at Grimmjow who was grinning like a fool.

"What the fuck is so funny?" Ichigo practically yelled, annoyance clearly written on his face.

"Your friends suck," he said, still grinning from ear to ear before another burst of laughter erupted from his mouth.

A deep laugh started rumbling from nearby and Ichigo turned to find Renji laughing as well. "Well it's true. Your friends kind of do suck," Renji agreed.

"Well you're one of them so I guess that means _you _suck."

By this time, Rukia was laughing as well and Ichigo couldn't help himself and started laughing too. "I hate you all," he said with a smile on his face.

* * *

Orihime hurried down the sidewalk, her backpack filled to nearly overflowing with spare clothes and other essentials for the trip back to Hueco Mundo. Two small blankets were rolled up and fastened to the top of the pack along with a small pillow in case she had to spend a few nights there while searching for Uryu.

When she entered Urahara's shop, she made her way back to the basement and was greeted by Urahara who was just finishing up preparations for sending her to Hueco Mundo.

"Ah… I'm glad you decided to go," Urahara said with a smile that made him look like he knew all along.

Orihime wrinkled her brow in confusion, wondering what he was talking about. "Of course I'm going. Isn't that why you got that thing ready?" she asked, pointing to the tall wooden structure that would enable her to jump dimensions.

Urahara didn't bother to answer other than to stare at some point behind her. She turned to see what he was looking at and smiled when she saw Ulquiorra walking towards her, a pack of his own on his back.

"Ulqui!" she cried out and had to restrain herself from running and throwing her arms around him. She was so relieved to not have to do this alone.

"Ulquiorra," he corrected as he walked serenely by, making his way to where Urahara was standing.

Orihime skipped up behind him, a huge smile still plastered to her face as they waited for Urahara to open the gate, where they quickly passed through.

**A bit short I know but I wanted to end this chapter there. **


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and favorited so far. You have no idea how much I love receiving notifications from FanFiction that I've just received something from someone. **

**Special Note: Black Rose, I wish I could reply to your reviews and comments but since you're signed in as a guest it won't let me. Sorry!**

**Chapter 6**

Orihime stared at her surroundings, astonished by the change in just a few days time. Last time she'd been in Hueco Mundo, the land had been littered with Quincy, enslaving all they found, but now the place was empty.

It was the same desolate white sand that she had gazed at through her solitary window during her captivity. The white expanse was dotted here and there with large boulders and pale, thin tree branches, but that was it, nothing else marred the oddly beautiful landscape.

"I wonder where they all went?" she said out loud, still staring at the land around her.

"They've probably finished purging the land and are now inside Las Noches. You can hide an army in there easily," Ulquiorra answered, walking forward towards a small hill. Orihime followed and once they reached the summit, they strained their eyes in every direction.

"I don't even see Las Noches from here," commented Orihime.

"I don't see it either," said Ulquiorra while adjusting the pack on his back.

"Hey, can't you just use your garganta thing and teleport us there?"

Ulquiorra turned towards Orihime as he answered, "That ability was lost once Aizen was captured. He was the one who enabled us to create them."

"Oh, I see," said Orihime. She looked around once again, completely at a loss for what way to go. Unlike her friends, she hadn't spent much time out in the desserts of Hueco Mundo so she was clueless as to where to go. When Ulquiorra started walking down the hill, Orihime asked, "Do you know the way?"

Ulquiorra nodded and continued forward, not bothering to look back at Orihime who was hurriedly following.

"How far away are we?" she asked after a few minutes, her legs keeping pace with Ulquiorra beside her.

"I'm not sure. I've only been to this area a few times and that was well before Aizen built his palace."

They fell silent after that, trekking through the cool sand at a steady pace.

* * *

Grimmjow watched Ichigo's face open up into a wide smile as he laughed with his friends. It was easy to see the affection between the threesome, the bonds forming due to the intense situations they'd had to face and overcome together. Grimmjow felt slightly out of place as he watched them but didn't let it bother him. He'd never actually fit in anywhere, come to think of it. During the time of his transformation from hollow to Arrancar, he'd been a part of a group but he'd never truly been a part of it… he'd been its leader. Then, after Aizen had come around and significantly increased his powers, he'd been forced to live with the other ranking members, none of which he'd become overly fond of. Even throughout the many weeks' he'd had to spend with Ulquiorra he hadn't gotten any closer to him. Their personalities just conflicted on too many different levels.

"Wake up!" Ichigo yelled as he punched Grimmjow in the gut.

"What the fuck?" Grimmjow hissed as he clutched his stomach.

"Yea, what the fuck is right. I called your name three times and you didn't answer," said Ichigo, the red head who Grimmjow now knew as Renji standing behind him along with the small raven haired chick.

"You didn't have to punch me," he said and hit Ichigo in the shoulder, none too lightly.

"Good Lord. Between the three of you I don't think a single one of ya will make it a week without receiving some major bodily injury," said Rukia, slightly annoyed. "Can you possibly _not_ hit each other for thirty seconds?"

All three men turned and glared at Rukia and then Tenjiro interrupted, "We have a while yet till Byakuya is fully healed. I suggest we make our way back inside for some food."

All four nodded their heads in approval and the group headed back towards the manor house. Ichigo once again walked beside Grimmjow, their pace easy as they strode along the path and walked up the few stairs to the building. A buffet was already laid out with several platters filled with different meats, side dishes and vegetables.

"Now, my food isn't like Kirio's but it'll suffice," Tenjiro added.

Never one to pass up a free meal, Grimmjow loaded his plate with food till it nearly overflowed and then took a seat at the large oval table. Renji was already sitting down in the seat directly across from him, shoveling food into his mouth. The man's appetitive seemed to rival his own. Ichigo was the next to sit down followed by Rukia who barely had enough food to dent Grimmjow's stomach.

Tenjiro took a seat at the head of the table; a separate plate brought out and placed in front of him. "I have a special diet I follow," he said in explanation of his food.

Silence filled the large room while the group ate and Ichigo was the first to finish, putting his utensils down and watching the man beside him and the red head on the other side. "You guys are pigs."

"We're bigger than you," Grimmjow answered as he shoved another large bite of food into his mouth.

"Yea, what he said," Renji agreed.

"You're not _that_ much bigger than me."

"Still bigger," said Renji with a grin.

Ichigo shook his head and rolled his eyes.

When they finally finished, Tenjiro stood up and led them out to the foyer. "I have to go speak with my lieutenant. Please feel free to enjoy the use of my hot springs. The ones on the left are normal hot springs so use those. And there are tons of bathing suits. Just tell one of the servants your size and they'll grab you one."

"You have a lieutenant?" Ichigo asked as Tenjiro turned to leave.

"Of course," he answered, not bothering to turn around. "Every captain needs a lieutenant."

* * *

Rangiku watched her captain enter his quarters, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion and his face covered in streams of sweat and dust. He took a seat behind his desk and groaned as he leaned back.

"Welcome back, Taicho," Rangiku said without her normal exuberance.

Captain Hitsugaya cocked a weary eye at his lieutenant and pretended not to notice the sour mood she seemed to be in. "Any news?"

"Nothing important. I finished the last of my paperwork. May I leave?" she asked, pointing at the stack of papers piled in her outbox.

Toshiro nodded and opened his mouth to say something but decided against it and instead watched the busty woman exit the room. He knew she was going through a rough time and the extra work he'd piled on her wasn't helping. It wasn't like he wanted to make her work more but he needed the extra time to get stronger. In the long run, it was for her. All of it was for her, the person who had saved him from himself so many times. The person who had stood up from him when he was a young boy. The person who had awaked him to his powers. The person who had supported him through the difficult task of leading an entire division. And the person who stood by his side no matter what situation they were going in to. Whether it be facing the most terrifying monster or entering a strange school, she was always beside him. Without her, life as he knew it, wouldn't exist.

It was his turn; his turn to protect her. His turn to shield her from anything that could harm her. He wouldn't fail this time.

This is what he told himself day after day while he watched Rangiku leave his room, looking like the weight of the world was crushing down on her. For some reason, he still felt like he was failing.

Outside, Rangiku walked steadily to her rooms, avoiding the places she used to go with her friends. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had a drink. Those times seemed long in the past. Now she just struggled to get through each day, painful memories turning each moment into a nightmare.

She slid the door open to her room and shrugged on her uniform, hanging it on a nearby post and putting on a pink silk robe. There was a note on her desk when she sat down and slowly picked it up and unfolded it.

_Rangiku,_

_I was informed that Rukia and Renji are with Ichigo at the Spirit Palace. _

_I will be around this evening in my quarters if you want to come by and have a few drinks. I think we could both use it. _

_Your Friend,_

_Shuhei_

Rangiku tossed the letter back on her table and leaned back in her chair. She stared at the wrinkled note for several minutes, debating on whether to go or not. She knew he must be hurting nearly as much as she was; he'd lost many of his friends as well in the battles but she just couldn't find it in her to go. But at least he had Kensei now. She knew the return of his idol helped him tremendously in his healing process.

She went to bed a bit later, hoping that tonight her brain would let her sleep peacefully for once.

* * *

"I'm tired," Orihime complained. "What time do you think it is?"

Ulquiorra shrugged and stopped.

"Does it never change out here? The sky has looked the same since we got here," Orihime said while digging through her bag. She pulled out a small round object and plopped down to the ground on her rear. "It's almost 10pm. We've been walking for almost ten hours! No wonder I'm tired and hungry. I can't believe we haven't seen a thing yet."

Ulquiorra was actually surprised when the woman told him what time it was. He hadn't realized they'd been walking for so long. It certainly was strange that they hadn't seen a single thing since they'd started. If the time she said was right then they should have been in more familiar territory by now.

"What's wrong?" Orihime asked after observing Ulquiorra's face during his silence.

"Nothing," he answered, not wanting to worry her. He'd give it a little time tomorrow and see where they ended up. Maybe he just wasn't remembering correctly since it had been so long ago.

Orihime knew that his 'nothing' wasn't really nothing but didn't want to press it further. He would tell her when he was ready. 'Maybe he was lost,' she thought and laughed quietly. She didn't know why but the idea of him being lost amused her.

Ulquiorra quirked an eyebrow when he heard the woman laugh and started unrolling his blankets. He watched Orihime unroll hers as well and then reach into her bag, pulling out a small bag with some strange looking cookies inside.

She caught Ulquiorra's questioning look and held up the baggy in her hand while she said, "Urahara gave these to me. He said they will fill you up after just eating one small piece. They don't look too tasty though."

"Here," she said, offering Ulquiorra a piece.

They ate their pieces, chewing cautiously at first but then swallowing it without grimacing. "That wasn't too bad," Orihime commented and put the bag away. Sure enough, ten minutes later they both felt completely full, bloated even as they sat and stared at their surroundings.

"Could you spar with me for a bit?" Orihime asked, breaking the silence.

Ulquiorra nodded and stood up, pulling out his sword while turning to face her and then lunged towards Orihime who was still in the process of standing up. Her eyes grew wide. What was he doing? Was he trying to kill her? Was this a charade all along and he was now taking the chance to finish what he'd started a year and a half ago? She stumbled back and did the only thing she could think of in the split second before his blade came slicing down at her.

* * *

Grimmjow walked across the lawn to the hot spring where Ichigo and the rest of the shinigami were already gathered. The black trunks that hung off his hips felt a bit strange. He'd never worn anything like them before; swimming wasn't something that hollows took part in often.

As he approached the pool, Ichigo turned to greet him, followed by Renji and then a casual wave from Rukia. He stepped into the steaming water and enjoyed the way his skin seemed to become alive from the burning heat, sinking down till just his head and neck were visible above the water. He could get used to this.

Directly across from him, Renji sat, leaning back against the edge of the pool with his bright red hair pulled back in a spiky ponytail. The man was quite a sight with his large muscular frame streaked with strange black tattoos running all the way down his abdomen and disappearing beneath the water. It wasn't often that he met someone larger than himself but this man was a good few inches taller than him and broader though his muscles might not be quite as thick as his.

In direct contrast was the woman who sat beside him. He'd never seen someone so tiny before. She was almost childlike in height though her body didn't resemble that of a child's. Her chest was rather small but her hips were definitely that of a grown woman. Her bobbed hair rivaled Ulquiorra's raven color and stuck to her forehead from the steam coming off the water. Her violet eyes stared up at the man beside her with obvious affection as Renji whispered something in her ear.

Nearest to him sat Ichigo, his orange hair dripping with water. Apparently he'd gone completely under the water at some point already. His eyes were closed as he leaned back and his hands were crossed behind his head. Though his body wasn't nearly as large as his or Renji's, Ichigo was certainly built. His shoulders were surprisingly broad with banded muscles covering them, stretching out into well defined pectorals and chiseled abs. Grimmjow appreciated the view, letting his eyes wander for a few seconds more before closing his eyes and leaning back against the side like everyone else.

He could hear whispering coming from the other side of the pool along with the occasional giggle or chuckle.

"Hey Grimm, did Aizen have anything like this in Las Noches?" Ichigo asked, breaking the silence.

"No… at least not that I know of. Maybe he had something like this for himself. I don't' know."

"I think we need a few of these in the barracks. Do you think Kuchiki Taicho would be up for that?" Renji asked Rukia in jest but nearly fell over when he heard…

"It wouldn't be for your amusement," a deep, cultured voice said from nearby.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia exclaimed.

"Hey Byakuya," said Ichigo casually. "Are you going to join us?"

"I've spent enough time in these pools. I need to get back to the Seireitei."

Grimmjow took in the appearance of the new guy. Byakuya looked to be about the same height and build as Ichigo but the similarities ended there. His hair was black, reaching his shoulders in loose layers. His eyes were slate grey, giving him an oddly cool appearance that looked like he could turn ashes to ice cubes with one glance. The captain's uniform he wore was tattered and ripped but it didn't seem to diminish his authoritative air in the least. If Grimmjow cared about such things as authority, he would be thoroughly nervous around this man.

"Oh, right Taicho," said Renji who started to get out of the water along with Rukia.

"Hold it right there," Tenjiro's voice bellowed from the doorway to the house. "Abarai Renji, you're not going anywhere. And neither are you Kuchiki Rukia. My orders are to keep you here. Kuchiki Byakuya, you may leave whenever you want but please feel free to make use of my house for the night if you would like." He steadily approached the pool of water and stepped immediately in, submerging himself up to his shoulders.

Byakuya stared at the man, his face not registering any sort of discernable emotion that Grimmjow could see.

"Thank you," Byakuya said finally and walked away from the group. No one saw him again that night.

"Why are we supposed to stay here?" Renji asked, slouching back into the water but his shoulders were still stiff and rigid.

"Not everything is revealed to me. I am only following orders," Tenjiro answered and went silent after that.

After a few minutes, Tenjiro grumbled, "You guys are boring." He motioned towards a servant nearby and immediately the person scurried away, only to come back a minute later with a tray carrying a large bottle of liquor and five small cups.

"You guys drink right?" he asked, pouring the chilled alcohol into the cups.

Renji was the first to wade over and grab a cup, throwing it back and grinning as he slammed it back to the tray. Everyone else made their way over. Grimmjow eyed the liquid apprehensively.

"What is it?" he asked as he picked up the cup.

"It's sake. Have you never had it before?" Tenjiro asked incredulously.

Grimmjow shook his head and shrugged his shoulders before mimicking Renji, tilting his head back and swallowing the contents in one gulp.

"You gotta take another since it's your first time," Renji added quickly and started filling Grimmjow's cup again.

Soon they'd each had several cup fulls, the alcohol starting to take effect.

"Hey midget, I'm surprised Tenjiro had a suit small enough for ya," Ichigo said with a huge grin.

"Shut up!" hollered Rukia, splashing water in Ichigo's direction and laughing when it hit him full in the face. Ichigo of course retaliated, splashing water back in her direction and successfully hitting Renji dead on.

Grimmjow watched as Renji dove forward, grabbing Ichigo's hair and dunking him under the water. Ichigo tried to fend him off, wrapping his arms around Renji's shoulders and pulling him down with him. The two went at it for several minutes, curses flying left and right as they wrestled for dominance. Grimmjow wasn't sure who ended up winning but he had to admit, it was amusing watching the pair.

"I think you need another drink Grimm," said Ichigo.

Grimmjow drank the contents down quickly, stumbling slightly as he made his way back to where he'd been sitting. Luckily he was in water so it didn't really matter. What did matter though was that Ichigo had been watching and was now laughing at him.

"Startin' to feel the affects eh?" Ichigo teased, throwing a wicked grin in his direction.

"I could still beat you up," he answered and sat back down on the bench along the side of the spring.

"Pfft, you couldn't beat me up when you're sober," Ichigo taunted which seemed to be all he needed to get Grimmjow's attention. In the next instant, Grimmjow was tackling him, Rukia and Renji's laughter ringing out as the two battled.

When they finally stopped, each panting and gasping for breath, Tenjiro commented, "You become a little instigator when you're drunk Kurosaki Ichigo."

"He doesn't need alcohol to become that," said Rukia.

The group wound down after that and a bit later they all made their way back to the rooms they'd been shown earlier.

While Ichigo lay in bed, he thought of the day and how much had happened. Just that morning he'd been practicing with Grimmjow in Urahara's basement, thinking Byakuya was dead and now he was sleeping in the realm of the Spirit King, Byakuya was alive and seemed well, and he was surrounded by some of his closest friends. He was surprised that he included Grimmjow in that group. He hadn't known him long but for some reason it seemed like they'd know each other since childhood. There was no apprehension between them of hurting each other's feelings. They were able to act like themselves without insulting each other. He supposed it was because of Grimmjow's cocky attitude towards life. Nothing seemed to make that guy nervous.

He drifted off to sleep, dreamlessly unconscious for the rest of the night.

**Hmm… what do you think? **

**I swear I had the part written about Kirio's food BEFORE the latest manga came out. **** Not that I had any idea what her food did exactly but still, I had mentioned it!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok, please don't lynch me. I could blabber off several excuses but I won't… I just hope you enjoy this and hopefully I'll find more inspiration now.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Orihime cringes, knowing there was nothing she could really do to protect herself. Ulquiorra was undoubtedly stronger than her and even though he'd been helping her recently and she'd gotten a bit stronger, she knew she wasn't nearly strong enough to take on a full strength hit from him. All she could do now was hope that her shield was strong enough to stop him for a few moments. The hope was slim though.

She crouched down and watched his sword shatter her shield like it was nothing more than a thin piece of paper and continue on its course, darting towards her left shoulder and then… warm blood splattered her face and neck, staining her shirt.

But there was no pain.

Was she dead already? She'd expected at least a little bit of pain before death seized her but all she felt now was confusion.

That's when she heard it, a guttural scream that made her skin crawl and then a heavy weight was crushing her, pushing down on her back and making her fall forward to the ground. She tried to shove whatever it off of her but it was too heavy and soon she was gasping for air, her lungs struggling to take a breath from the weight pressing down on her.

Ulquiorra sheathed his sword quickly and grabbed the hollow that he'd slain just a moment before. The woman was trapped underneath and he shoved as hard as he could to push the monster off of her slender body.

As soon as she was free, she turned her head up and looked into his wide green eyes. Blood matted her thick orange hair and several streams of the red liquid dripped down the side of her face.

"I- I thought… thank you. Thank you," Orihime said quickly and stumbled to stand up. Ulquiorra reached a hand out to steady her and the contact sent streaks of lightning through both of their bodies, causing Ulquiorra to jump back a step as she straightened.

"Well I feel gross now," Orihime said to lighten the mood as she wiped at the blood on her face and smiled. "Any showers in Hueco Mundo?" she joked though Ulquiorra didn't laugh… not that she expected him to.

"We can find a pond somewhere," he answered.

"There are ponds here?"

"Yes but you have to be careful. There are creatures that live in them, aquatic hollows just as vicious as the ones you'd see on land."

Orihime cringed slightly and brushed back the matted hair from her face. "Well, do you know if there is one close by?"

Ulquiorra shrugged and scanned the surrounding area. "I'm not very familiar with this area so I'm not sure. We'll have to go below though."

"Below?" Orihime questioned.

"There is another world below this one but the hollows are stronger there. That's the only place you will find water though."

Orihime sighed and grabbed her pack off the ground, throwing it over her shoulder. "Well I guess it's a good thing you came along then," she said and started walking over the cool sand.

* * *

Ichigo stretched his limbs and slowly opened his eyes to the bright morning sun streaming through the windows. The starch white sheets and blanket were a bunched up mess over his body, one of his legs completely uncovered from mid thigh down. His torso was also bare from the waist up, the sheet riding low on his left hip. The mattress felt good beneath him, his muscles completely relaxed and he let himself close his eyes again.

"Ichigo!" I loud voice hollered through the door and a second later the door was being pushed open.

"Fuck, Grimmjow… what do you want?" Ichigo said, opening his eyes and pushing himself up with his arms as the door closed behind Grimmjow.

"Something's pounding inside my head," Grimmjow answered with his hands cupping the sides of his skull. His light blue hair was a tangled mess beneath his fingers and his eyes were cringing as if in intense pain.

"What do you mean, pounding inside your head? Do you have a headache?"

Grimmjow quirked his eyes towards Ichigo, standing in the center of the room wearing only a pair of navy blue boxer brief shorts. "A headache? What's a headache?"

"Good lord. Are you telling me you've never had a headache before?" Ichigo groaned as he lay back on the bed and covered his eyes with the back of his hand.

"No, I haven't."

When the bed shifted and dipped, Ichigo lifted his hand from his face and peaked an eye to the side. Grimmjow was sitting on the edge of the bed, his head resting in his hands as he leaned forward.

"Just take some aspirin and it should go away. It's from the alcohol last night."

"You mean that stuff we drank?" Grimmjow asked.

"Yea. It's called a hangover."

Ichigo turned his head to the side, still lying down and looked at Grimmjow who was still grimacing slightly from the pain. 'There was something different about him,' Ichigo thought but couldn't quite place what it was. Maybe it was just the lack of clothing that was throwing him off. It certainly was quite distracting having a practically naked, gorgeous man sitting on your bed when you weren't wearing much either but he didn't think that was it. Something about his mask seemed odd.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Ichigo sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed, opposite the side Grimmjow was sitting. "Here, there should be some in the bathroom."

Ichigo stood up and walked across the room to the attached bathroom, Grimmjow trailing behind him as he opened a small cabinet and started rifling inside. He pulled out a small white bottle and held it out saying, "Here, take two of these. You should feel better soon."

Grimmjow eyed the bottle skeptically and then shook it, listening to the contents rattle inside then took the glass of water Ichigo held out for him.

"Put two in your mouth and then take a sip of water."

"Eck, these things taste gross," Grimmjow complained, making a face as he gulped down the entire glass of water.

"That's why you're not supposed to eat them. You just swallow them," said Ichigo. "Now would you leave please? I need to get dressed."

Grimmjow only grunted and walked out the door, uncaring whether anyone was out in the hallway or not even though he was still only in his briefs.

Sitting in a neat pile on top of the large dresser in the room was Ichigo's clothes, freshly cleaned and he changed quickly before walking downstairs to where Renji and Rukia were already waiting.

"Mornin' guys," Ichigo said, stopping in front of them. They were standing in the large foyer near the front door and no one else could be seen but they could hear people moving around in the surrounding rooms.

"Hey Ichigo. What took you so long?" Rukia asked with her tiny arms crossed over her chest.

"Fricken Grimmjow was in my room this morning buggin' me," Ichigo answered and just at that moment, Grimmjow appeared at the top of the stairs and casually made his way down.

"You guys ready?" Renji asked and the group left.

"So, where are we going now?" Grimmjow asked.

"I think her name is Kirio," Rukia answered and Grimmjow grimaced.

"Not the heavyset woman?" he asked.

Ichigo nudged him and winked. "Your girlfriend."

"Huh?" Renji said with a quirk of his eyebrows.

"She has a thing for him," Ichigo answered and received a punch in the shoulder from the Espada.

They wandered down the gravel path for several minutes till they came to another large mansion almost identical to the one Tenjiro had occupied. Just as Renji was about to knock, the door burst open and Kirio was filling the entrance with a huge smile on her face.

"Welcome!" she said cheerily and beckoned them all inside. Grimmjow was the last to enter and a loud yelp startled everyone as they walked inside.

"What the hell woman!?" Grimmjow hollered, rubbing his backside and then sending a deadly look towards Ichigo when the boy started to laugh hysterically at him.

"You're just so cute!" the lady squealed and circled around the group to start leading them around the place.

* * *

Orihime followed Ulquiorra closely as they wound their way down a steep hillside which could more properly be called a cliff except for the jagged edge that gave them enough footing to slowly make their way down its side. It had taken them nearly an hour to find the entrance and Orihime was exhausted and sticky from the blood. She'd slipped several times already, each time catching herself just before she fell over the edge but this time, when the ground beneath her foot broke away and she started to fall over the edge, Ulquiorra grabbed her arm and pulled her up by his side.

"You need to be more careful," he chastised, making Orihime frown as she nodded her head.

"I know. I'm just so tired. How much farther do you think it is?" she asked.

"If it's really bothering you, I could just fly us down," Ulquiorra said and Orihime turned her face up to his, slightly shocked by his statement.

"You… you can do that?"

"I wouldn't have said it if I couldn't," he answered.

Orihime took a step back and watched Ulquiorra transform into his second release form. His large black wings unfolded by his sides and without a moments hesitation he grabbed her beneath her arms and lifted them up into the air.

"Eeks!" Orihime screamed and reached her hands out to grasp his upper arms. They swooped down quickly, flying down to the ground and landed surprisingly gracefully. Ulquiorra immediately transformed back into his normal form and Orihime snatched her hands back like they'd been burned when she realized she'd let them linger there a bit too long.

"Wow umm… thanks," she said and nervously adjusted her pack on her back.

Ulquiorra didn't bother to respond to her and just started walking over the rocky surface. She followed him quickly and nearly screamed for joy when they found a small body of water not long later.

Immediately Orihime knelt down by the side of the water and started splashing her face and wetting her hair. The blood washed away quickly but she could still feel it on her skin beneath her shirt. Grasping the hem, she lifted her shirt over her head and started splashing water on herself, frowning when she saw the stains on her light pink bra.

Only a few yards away, Ulquiorra's entire body stiffened and he quickly turned around so that he wasn't facing the woman anymore. Her actions had caught him completely by surprise and he found the twisting of his gut uncomfortable and annoying. He didn't know why he'd reacted like that. The women in Las Noches hadn't exactly been modest by any means, wearing next to nothing as if it was a competition. Several women had even gone so far as to proposition him but he'd always refused. Women were just a distraction as far as he was concerned.

But still, the sight of Orihime pulling her shirt over her head, revealing her creamy white skin and nearly overflowing breasts confused him. His hands flexed inside his pockets, fisting tightly till he took a deep breath and cleared his thoughts. She was just a woman, a mere human even. Clearly even she hadn't thought he'd care about her undressing in front of him; that he was beyond any base needs such as sex.

And she was right…

Ulquiorra turned back around and faced the woman. She was still bent over the water, ringing her shirt beneath the surface and he gulped audibly at the sight. As much as he tried to resist, he couldn't help but stare at her. He could make out the side of one breast, the mound close to spilling over the confines of her stained lace bra and then the smooth curve of her waist before it flared out into a shapely hip. His belly ignited, his entire body pulsing with something strange and foreign.

"Do you think we can camp out here?" Orihime asked, jarring Ulquiorra's thoughts from the path they had been traveling.

"This will be fine," he answered, thankful for something to do to distract himself as he slid his pack off of his back and started unraveling his blankets.

"Should we start a fire?" she asked as she rifled through her own bag and pulled out a shirt.

Ulquiorra was thankful when the woman covered herself back up. "It will attract too much attention."

"Yea, you're probably right."

Orihime moved over to where Ulquiorra was laying out his bed stuff and started rolling hers out as well a few feet away.

"Since we didn't get a chance earlier… do you think we can practice a little when we wake up?" Orihime asked.

"I suppose," he answered and Orihime cheered silently in her head.

They each crawled into their makeshift beds a few minutes later but even though Orihime felt exhausted from the long day, she found herself having a difficult time falling asleep. It was strange having Ulquiorra nearby. For some reason his presence unsettled her at the moment which was odd because she hadn't felt like that since they'd entered Hueco Mundo. Why was it different now?

She could hear his even breathing which signaled that he had fallen asleep and her fascination was once again piqued, just like it had been that first morning when she'd woken up in Urahara's place and found Ulquiorra sleeping in the same room as her.

Turning her head to the side she was able to clearly see him, his slender body covered from chest to foot by a thick wool blanket. His face was turned towards hers and she found herself entranced by the sight. Normally his incredible eyes pulled all of your attention but with them closed she was able to appreciate the beauty of the rest of his face. Thick black lashes fanned over porcelain white cheeks which enhanced the emerald color of the streaks dripping down his face all the way to his jaw. His lips looked surprisingly delicate, thin and small on his angular face. At the moment they were slightly parted as he breathed slowly in his sleep.

'It must be annoying to sleep with that helmet on,' she thought to herself, noticing that each time she'd seen him sleeping now that he was always lying on the side that the helmet wasn't.

She shook her head and forced herself to close her eyes. It was going to be another long day tomorrow and she needed all the rest she could get. Still though, she couldn't sleep. All around her were strange sounds that made her muscles stiff an uneasy. She wished she could be like Ulquiorra and sleep through it all but everything was so different here. None of the sounds were recognizable in her world and her wild imagination created terrible monsters to go along with those noises.

Most frightening of all was the fact that her imagination just might be right in this place.

She must have laid there for an hour trying to fall asleep unsuccessfully before she opened her eyes again and looked at Ulquiorra. He was still sleeping on the same side and his breathing was even heavier than before, his chest noticeably heaving up and down with every intake of air.

An insane idea popped into her head and she quickly shoved the idea aside, shaking her head and rolling to her other side away from him. It's amazing though how in the middle of the night when you are completely exhausted you can talk yourself into almost anything and soon she was sitting up and dragging her bedding closer to Ulquiorra's. She stopped just a few inches away from his and crawled back beneath the blanket.

'Ahh, better already,' she thought and snuggled a little closer till she was inching over his blanket.

Her face was less than a foot away from his and she took the opportunity to look at him from this close up. His skin was flawless and his shadowed lips looked slightly fuller than they'd looked from father away. He hadn't stirred at all while she'd moved and she was thankful because within a few minutes she felt her body easing and she fell quickly to sleep.

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Ulquiorra groaned and rolled over on the hard ground. He was laying face up now, his back flat on the ground and a strange sound made him instantly alert. His eyes opened wide, his body tensing and something slid over his stomach. It was warm and soft, reaching from one side of his waist to the other. He looked down slowly and the sight that assaulted his eyes was more alarming than if a hollow had wrapped itself around his body.

Orange hair cascaded over the side of his body, pressing itself against his side and an arm was flung over his torso, holding him tightly where her hand gripped his waist. She wiggled against him, pushing herself closer to him and lifted her head up to rest on his chest. He could barely see her face when he lifted his head up from the ground but he could see the edges of her lips turned slightly up in a smile.

The reaction from his body was even more startling, something strange shooting through his veins and warmth pooling low in his belly, causing something lower to twitch uncomfortably and grow with surprising speed. He was wholly unaccustomed to feelings like this and he didn't like it. He liked control, liked being able to suppress any foreign urges that would threaten to distract him but right now he was completely distracted. Every inch of his body that was in contact with the woman tingled hotly and the small sounds she made as she wiggled against him sent sparks licking up his spine.

He gulped audibly, unsure of what he should do so he just laid there, not moving a muscle till suddenly the woman's leg lifted and settled intimately over his groin. His breath hissed through gritted teeth and panic seized his brain. He had to remove himself from the woman or… or he didn't want to think about what would happen.

With slightly unsteady fingers he reached his hand out and gripped her wrist. He lifted her arm up and then rolled his body to the side, turning so that his back faced her. Her leg fell off of him and her head slid onto her outstretched arm.

He was barely on his makeshift bed now, his body lying just on the edge of the blanket with the helmet side of his head lying on the ground and he could still feel the heat from her body against his back. Every muscle in his back tensed when suddenly one of her hands grabbed the fabric of his jacket and tugged on it, pulling herself against him. She curled up behind him, nudging her head against his back and then sliding her hand over his side till she was holding him with one arm while the other was caught between their bodies. Her legs tucked behind his, the top of her thighs pressing against the back of his own and her hips curved perfectly around his backside. The palm of her hand which was wrapped around his body flattened over his hard stomach and he wanted to groan when it started to travel up his body to his chest, resting there just beneath his hollow hole.

She stilled then, her body wrapped tightly around his own and he thought he would explode with the riotous feelings streaking through his body. No one had ever touched him like this. Well, that wasn't exactly true. A few of the times that the women in Las Noches had propositioned him they'd touched him, rubbing their bodies over his in what they had assumed was seductive but he'd felt nothing but revulsion at the contact.

But that wasn't the case now.

Maybe it was because her gestures were innocent, done subconsciously while she continued to sleep or maybe it was because she was human, her touch different than the women he was accustomed to. Whatever the reason, he didn't care at the moment. All he wanted was to be free of this overwhelming need enveloping him.

"Onna," he said quietly, his body still stiff as he lay there.

She didn't respond so he repeated it slightly louder this time. A groan slipped from her lips and she squeezed him tighter, burying her face between his shoulder blades. Somehow her hand had traveled up farther on his chest and was now resting above his hollow hole, his jacket the only thing between her hand and it. His chest tightened almost painfully at the contact and he inwardly cursed and reached down to pry her hand away.

_Lost deep in a dream, panic seized Orihime. Her hands desperately clung to Ulquiorra, sobbing uncontrollably as some strange shadow pulled him away from her. The dream had started out pleasantly, her and Ulquiorra practicing in Urahara's basement. He'd pushed her to her limits like usual, demanding more of her than she knew she had. When they'd stopped to take a break, Ulquiorra had even complimented her on her progress. _

_She'd been basking in the glow of his compliment, pride filling her when suddenly a dark figure had appeared and started pulling Ulquiorra away into a deep shadow cast over the ground. She reached out for him, her hands grabbing whatever she could get a hold of and his emerald eyes stared at hers with so much hopelessness and regret that she felt like someone had punched her in the gut. She struggled to pull him free, tears streaming down her cheeks and then she saw it… a slender figure rising above his body with wings stretched wide and long thin horns protruding from his head. The form was cast in shadows, making it impossible for her to see its face but it was somehow familiar and she gasped when she realized what it was. _

"Ulqui! No!" she cried and wrenched her hand away from his grasp where he was trying to release her hold on him, squeezing him so tightly he almost couldn't breathe.

Ulquiorra's entire body froze at her words, the pain and desperation in her tone making something inside him snap. He yanked her hand from his chest and rolled over, facing her now and grabbed her shoulders to shake her awake.

"Onna… Orihime!" he hollered and when her eyes blinked open and stared at him he sighed in relief. Several seconds went by where she only stared at him wide eyed and then with a muffled sound she reached out and buried her head in his jacket. She didn't cry but her breathing was heavy and labored as she struggled to resist the urge to let loose a flood of tears.

'It was just a dream… just a dream,' she chanted to herself over and over again and when she finally realized what she was doing she stiffened and quickly released her hold on his jacket.

"I'm sorry!' she squeaked and covered her flaming face with her hands.

Ulquiorra sat up, uncomfortable lying so close to her and she quickly scooted up into a sitting position as well.

"What was that about?" he asked, his voice harsher than he'd meant it to be.

Orihime bit her lip nervously and started wringing her hands in her lap. "I… well, I'm not sure. Just a bad dream I guess." She didn't want to elaborate, embarrassed by the content of her imagination.

"You said my name," he said, remembering the way she'd cried out the shortened version of his name which she seemed to enjoy calling him by.

Orihime's face reddened and she started fumbling with the hem of her shirt, staring down at her hands. "Oh, I'm sorry if that woke you up."

Ulquiorra resisted the urge to roll his eyes and decided not to press her. She obviously didn't want to talk about it judging from the nervous gestures she kept making.

"What time is it?" she asked and when Ulquiorra shrugged his shoulders she rolled over and started rifling through her bag. She pulled out her watch and was surprised when it only read 3:30am. They'd only been asleep for 3-4 hours. Their surroundings looked exactly the same, time having no influence on the landscape or the constant dawning sky.

"It's only been a few hours. You should go back to sleep," she said, putting the watch back in her bag.

Ulquiorra watched her sit stiffly on her blankets as he lay back down on his own. Out of habit he lay on his side where his helmet wasn't so he ended up facing her and after several minutes he opened his eyes and noticed her still sitting in the same spot a few feet away.

"What are you doing Onna?"

Orihime's eyes shot up and looked at him, startled by his question and began fidgeting nervously where she sat again. "I'm not tired."

The woman was a horrible liar and he just continued to stare at her without saying a word, making it quite clear that he didn't believe a word she'd said. Eventually she sighed and said, "This place scares me a little and I can't sleep."

It seemed to make sense now… the bad dream, her sleeping close to him. He could tell she was still tired, her face looking worn and exhausted. Did he dare let her lie next to him again? His body reacted instantly, his gut clenching and twisting into a knot. Why did that idea come to his mind? He shouldn't care whether she slept or not. She wasn't his responsibility but then again, what had he come with her to Las Noches for then? Inwardly he groaned.

"Here," he said, sliding backwards on his blanket till there was enough room for her to lie down as well.

Orihime looked up at him, confused at what he was talking about. He couldn't be asking her to lie with him… could he? "What?"

"You're tired. Lie down," he said and motioned for her to move beside him.

'Holy crap!' Orihime screamed in her head. He really was asking her to lie down next to him. "Really?" she asked, still incredulous that he would be telling her this.

"I do not say things I do not mean," he answered sternly and Orihime bounced up from where she was sitting and quickly moved to lie down in the spot next to him. She was in such a hurry that when she laid down she practically fell on top of him and bumped her head against his helmet.

"Ouch!" she groaned and rubbed the spot where their heads had collided. "Sorry."

Ulquiorra just shook his head in exasperation and closed his eyes.

Orihime settled herself down, her body facing his and wiggled as close as she dared. For some reason it felt strange laying down with him now. Earlier he hadn't been aware of her presence, making it easier for her to fall asleep but now, now he had actually offered to let her sleep next to him.

It was so strange. She didn't understand how she could feel comfortable lying with him, why his presence next to her seemed to soothe her nerves and make her feel like cuddling closer. He was anything but warm and cuddly… the thought made her laugh and she quickly coughed and closed her eyes when Ulquiorra opened an eye at the noise. Things definitely were different though now. She'd seen with her own eyes how powerful he was, how strong and incredible his abilities were. She was sure there wasn't much out there that would be able to defeat him and she supposed this lent to her ease at being around him and why she felt safe lying next to him. But it didn't really explain why she trusted him or why her belly was warm and filled with butterflies at the moment; or why his even breathing had become something she could time her own breathes to.

Peaking her eyes open she could see that his eyes were closed and she couldn't help taking the opportunity to look at him again. His skin was so perfect and she had the oddest urge to touch the green markings running down his face. They made him look so sad, like he was perpetually crying at the world. It was so unlike his personality; his unwavering coolness and unemotional reactions to everything around him. How could someone who didn't understand feelings and emotions be constantly crying? A flash of a past memory made her shudder and wrap her arms around her body. _His hand reaching out for her, his eyes so sad but resigned to his fate. _No, she was wrong about him. She could never think him as cool and unemotional, not after having witnessed more feelings from one person in a single glimpse than she'd witnessed in anyone in her entire life. Intensity rested deeply inside him, that much she was sure about.

Her steely gaze moved up to his hair and she admired the midnight shade then glanced at the bone white helmet covering half of his head. For some reason it looked different, the edges slightly ragged like tiny pieces had been broken off. It must be her imagination though, figuring that she just must not be remembering correctly. After all, she'd never been this close up to him before so she didn't really know what it looked like to begin with. Still though, there was something unsettling about its appearance.

"What are you doing?" Ulquiorra asked, opening an eye to look at her and catching her staring at the top of his head with a strange look on her face.

"Uh, sorry," she quickly said and closed her eyes tightly, embarrassed at having been caught.

Ulquiorra stared at the woman for a moment, perplexed by her odd reactions lately. She seemed so nervous around him. She'd never been like this before. If anything she was always defiant and had no problems facing off with him no matter what the situation. But now, she seemed to often be fidgeting nervously with something or turning her gaze away from him. It was unexpected and made no sense to him. If anything she should have been more frightened and nervous around him _before_. He hadn't done anything of late to warrant such strange reactions.

He shook his head and closed his eyes, not liking his train of thought.

* * *

The four of them, Ichigo, Renji, Rukia and Grimmjow, were marched straight up the stairs by a housekeeper who pointed out which rooms they would be staying in that night. After they dropped their things inside those rooms, they all made their way back down and were led towards the rear of the house where Kirio was waiting for them in front of a large counter. Lined up on nearly every available inch of space on the counter were piles of food and on another nearby counter lay five carving boards. Ichigo groaned when he noticed this detail and Grimmjow who was standing beside him turned his head and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Welcome! Are you guy's hungry?" Kirio asked cheerily, her chubby cheeks rounded and pink.

"I'm starved," said Renji.

"You're always hungry," Rukia said, her fisted hands resting on her hips as she glared up at her best friend.

"I'm twice your size."

"That doesn't mean you need to eat ten times more than me," Rukia retorted and before they were able to argue any further Kirio cut in.

"I like a healthy appetite."

"You'll love Grimmjow then. He rivals Renji here," Ichigo said and shot Grimmjow a wicked grin who stared back at him with a snarl on his face.

"Oh really?!" said Kirio. "I knew I had good taste." Kirio motioned towards the counter with mounds of food and said, "I'm going to teach you how to cook today."

All four of them groaned in harmony and Kirio glared at the group, her reiatsu spiking suddenly. "Trust me. You'll like it in the end. This isn't any ordinary style of cooking."

The four of them moved in front of the cutting boards and Kirio moved to stand on the opposite side of the counter to start instructing. "Now, I want you all to close your eyes and start letting your spirit energy pour out of you. Good Rukia." She turned towards the guys and yelled, "Renji, Ichigo… seriously? That's it?"

They both groaned and tried again.

"Grimmjow, what are you doing?" she asked, moving up beside him. He was staring at the board in front of him, his eyes looking confused and slightly panicky.

"Fuck this," he said and took a step back, crossing his large arms over his chest.

"Come on. Try again," Kirio encouraged, her tone slightly concerned.

Grimmjow glared at her for a moment before straightening up and closing his eyes again. His reiatsu flared for an instant but quickly vanished, a frustrated growl erupting from his lips.

"Odd," she said, moving her large frame to stand directly in front of him and placed her hands on either side of his face, one resting over his mask. "Are you feeling well?"

"Yes, why?"

Her eyes slowly took in his features, examining him thoroughly and then she removed one hand from his face and placed it over his hollow hole, low on his belly.

"What the hell?!" Grimmjow shouted, jumping back but running into the counter.

"Hold on hon," she said and moved her hand back to his belly. Her fingers slid around the hole, her eyes fastened to the movement and Grimmjow was gritting his teeth as if he was in pain throughout the whole process.

Ichigo stood back and watched what Kirio was doing, slightly concerned for the look on Grimmjows face. He hadn't known that they felt sensation around their holes, especially such intense sensation. Secretly he thought to himself, 'I'll have to remember that the next time he pisses me off.'

"Interesting," Kirio finally said, backing away from Grimmjow and walking back around the counter.

"What's interesting?" Grimmjow asked, clearly annoyed.

"You'll see," she said and started piling different veggies in front of each of their cutting boards. "Now then, I want you to start cutting these up but while you are doing it, imagine pouring that reiatsu you just built up into your knife."

All four of them looked at Kirio like she'd completely lost her mind.

"You want us to use these knives like they are zanpakuto's?" Renji asked with a chuckle.

Kirio laughed as well and said, "It's in the food that we want your spirit energy to go but if you concentrate on the knife it will mold the food and create a modified soul in a sense."

"Eh?" Ichigo said, thinking of Kon.

"Whatever," said Grimmjow who started chopping away at the food in front of him. The rest followed suit, taking their time as they tried to do as Kirio had told them. Every few minutes Ichigo would look up across the table and wrinkle his brow at the woman in front of them. She kept tugging on the belt around her waist and adjusting her clothing until eventually Ichigo started to notice something different about her. Her face seemed different, her cheeks not quite as full as before and even her clothes looked like they were hanging off of her like a potato sack.

"Are you ok, Kirio?" Ichigo asked, slightly concerned.

The large woman grinned across the space and said, "Yes honey, I'm fine."

They continued working and each one of them started to slowly get more and more exhausted, the amount of spirit energy pouring out of them getting less and less by the minute.

"I'm hungry," Renji complained.

"Me too," Grimmjow added and then laid down his knife.

"Ok, ok. You guys go ahead and take a break. I'll finish this all up and call you down when it's done," Kirio said and waved good bye as everyone started filing out of the kitchen and winked at Grimmjow before he slipped through the doorway and then they all made their way slowly up the stairs to their bedrooms.

"Who'd have thought cooking would be so tiring?" said Rukia, her shoulders sagging like a huge weight was resting on them.

"Give me a massage Rukia," Renji moaned as he followed her down the hallway.

"Are you crazy? I'm taking a nap," she answered but Renji followed her into her room and Ichigo watched the door close behind them.

"Are they…?" Grimmjow started to asked and Ichigo shrugged his shoulders.

"Who knows? Sometimes I think they are but then sometimes I just think they are more like brother and sister."

Ichigo opened the door to his room and walked inside, closing the door behind him but it was halted by a hand grabbing the side a few inches before it closed. He turned his head to the side and Grimmjow was standing beside him, his hand still holding the door open. "What are you doing?" he asked, his body rebelling because it was ready to collapse on the bed.

"Let me in," Grimmjow gruffly said, pulling the door open wider.

"Why?" Ichigo asked and let the door swing open because he didn't have the strength to stop it.

"That woman will probably rape me in my sleep if I'm left alone."

"At least you would get some action," Ichigo said, shuffling his feet inside his room as Grimmjow shut the door behind them. Ichigo walked inside the large bathroom which was attached to the bedroom and closed the door behind him. When he came out, Grimmjow was sprawled on the left side of the bed above the covers, lying face down with his head tilted towards the right, the side where his mask was facing up.

"What the fuck?" Ichigo groaned quietly but didn't bother to voice it loud enough for Grimmjow to hear. Instead he ambled towards the right side of the bed and lay down as well, his body in almost the exact same pose as Grimmjows. Within seconds he fell asleep and didn't wake up again until a loud noise startled him awake.

to be continued...

* * *

**I think I might give up on the Ichigo, Grimmjow, Renji, Rukia side of this story. I don't think anyone is really interested in it. Let me know what you think.**


End file.
